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I'ombre  ou  de  la  distorsion  le  long  de  la  marge 

int6rieure. 


n 


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1 

2 

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derniere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte  d'im- 
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aux  sont  filmes  en  commengant  par  la  premiere 
page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte  d'impression  ou 
d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par  la  derniere  page 
qui  comporte  une  telle  empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
derniere  image  de  chaque  microfiche,  selon  le  cas: 
le  symbole  -»  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le  symbole  V 
signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  etre 
filmes  a  des  taux  de  reduction  differents.   Lorsque 
le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  etre  reproduit  en 
un  seul  cliche,  il  est  filme  a  partir  de  Tangle 
superieur  gauche,  de  gauche  a  droite,  et  de  haut 
en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre  d 'images 
necessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants  illustrent  la 
methode. 


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2 

3 

4 

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TO  MY  WIFK 

WHO    HELHKU    ME    TO    SEE    THE    LIOHI 


I 


FOREWORD 

The  brightest  glory  of  the  new  century's 
dawn  springs  from  a  hope,  deep  and  wide- 
spread, of  coming  religious  Revival.  The 
Church  is  great  in  numbers,  wealth,  machin- 
ery, but  there  is  everywhere  a  haunting  sug- 
gestion which  is  fast  becoming  conviction,  that 
the  Power  has  departed  from  us.  Much  is 
being  done ;  there  are  good  and  true  men  and 
women  in  all  the  Churches;  statesmanship 
and  desire  and  sacrifice  are  not  lacking,  but  a 
wholesome  sense  of  failure  is  bringing  Believ- 
ers of  all  names  to  their  knees.  Mr.  Moody 
who,  more  than  almost  any  other  man  of  his 
time,  labored  and  hoped  as  seeing  Him  who  is 
invisible,  was  firm  in  the  belief,  to  the  day  of 
his  death,  that  a  great  Revival  is  near  at  hand. 
No  man  can  say  from  what  quarter  the  light 
will  appear  but  those  who  can  see  catch  far 
off  glimpses  of  the  Coming  One.     Surely  the 


Foreword 


J' 
f . 

li 

hi 
■J 


Lord  is  at  hand.  It  is  high  time  to  awake  out 
of  sleep  lest  when  the  Master  comes  suddenly 
to  His  Temple  He  find  us  unprepared. 

Because  the  Revival  is  needed,  is  expected, 
is  promised  and  will  surely  come,  this  book  is 
written  with  the  hope  and  prayer  that  it  may 
serve  some  humble  part  in  preparation  for  a 
Blessing  so  Great. 

Toronto,  May,  1901. 


If  ! 
If 


CONTENTS 

PAOB 

The  Ciilrcii  Expectant 9 

The  Need  ok  Revival 35 

The  Revival  We  Neei> 47 

The  End  or  Revival 6i 

What  the  Church  Lacks 71 

The  Separated  Life 79 

Pravfr 89 

God's  Word loi 

How  God  Looks  at  the  Sinner  .111 

The  Sin  ok  Unbelief 125 

A  Christian  Conversion 137 


The  Church  Expectant 


And  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  they  were 
all  with  one  accord  in  one  place.  And  suddenly  there  came 
a  sound  from  heaven  an  of  a  rushing  mighty  wind,  and  it 
filled  all  the  house  where  they  were  sitting.  And  there  ap- 
peared unto  them  cloven  tongues  like  as  of  fire,  and  it  sat 
upon  each  of  them.  And  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit 
gave  them  utterance.  But  Peter,  standing  up  with  the 
eleven,  lifted  up  his  voice,  and  said  unto  them.  Ye  men  of 
Judea,  and  all  ye  that  dwell  at  Jerusalem,  be  this  known 
unto  you,  and  hearken  to  my  words;  for  these  are  not 
drunken,  as  ye  suppose,  seeing  it  is  but  the  third  hour  of  the 
day.  But  this  is  that  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet 
Joel ;  and  it  shall  come  to  p>ass  in  the  last  days,  saith  God,  I 
will  pour  out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh ;  and  your  sons  and 
your  daughters  shall  prophesy,  and  your  young  men  shall 
see  visions,  and  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams ;  and  on 
my  servants  and  on  my  handmaids  I  will  pour  out  in  those 
days  of  my  Spirit ;  and  they  shall  prophesy ;  and  I  will  shew 
wonders  in  heaven  above,  and  signs  in  the  earth  beneath : 
blood,  and  fire,  and  vapour  of  smoke:  The  sun  shall  be 
turned  into  darkness,  and  the  moon  into  blood,  before  that 
great  and  notable  day  of  the  Lord  come :  And  it  shall  come 
to  pass,  that  whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord 
shall  be  SAvtd.—TAt  Acts, 


lo 


CHAPTER   I 


THS   CHURCH    EXPECTANT 

The  dawn  of  the  new  century  is  marked 
by  widespread  expectation  of  religious  revival, 
among  Christians  of  all  creeds  and  countries. 
The  Ifirst  ground  of  this  universal  expectation 
is  the  evident  need  as  shown  by  the  spiritual 
condition  of  the  Churches.  In  the  last  few 
years  a  great  change  in  the  matter  of  worldli- 
ness  has  swept  over  Christian  people  every- 
where, chilling  into  deadly  torpor  their  spiritual 
energies.  We  may  trace  this  change  to  reac- 
tion  against  Puritanism,  to  a  growing  culture, 
or  to  any  other  cause  we  choose ;  the  fact  itself 
is  beyond  dispute.  Evangelism,  organization, 
education  was  the  original  order  in  Church 
development.  Of  late  this  order  has  been 
reversed.  Now  organization  too  often  seems 
to  be  put  first,  education  next  and  last  of  all, 
if  there  is  time  for  it,  evangelization.  At  first 
the  barrier  between  Church  and  world  was  let 
down  slowly;  then  frivolity  broke  through 
with  a  rush  until  Christians  have  come  to  vie 

II 


.J 


1 2  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

with  each  other  in  all  those  pursuits  which 
constitute  the  highest  happiness  of  that  section 
of  our  fellowmcn  whom  John  sadly  describes 
as  "lying  in  the  evil  one.  "  I  am  not  now  dis- 
cussing  the  essential  moral  quality  of  these 
actions  and  ideals,  nor  yet  their  significance  as 
an  index  to  spiritual  life.  I  am  simply  stating 
the  fact  that  worldliness  has  come  to  charac- 
terize those  who  profess  to  be  citizens  of  heaven. 
In  this  matter  few  believers  arc  in  a  position 
to  cast  the  first  stone;  or  any  stone.  It  is  not 
so  much  a  matter  of  form  as  of  life  or  lack  of 
life.  We  must  all  have  our  "social  functions" 
and  other  like  devices  for  the  quenching  of 
life,  always  after  the  most  approved  "fashion." 
Earnest  Christian  parents  are  everywhere  per- 
plexed and  saddened  because  church  member- 
ship is  of  little  aid  in  keeping  their  children 
unspotted  from  the  world.  Professed  follow- 
ers of  Jesus,  for  the  most  part,  are  in  no  wise 
unlike  their  unbelieving  neighbors  as  to  busi- 
ness ideals,  and  methods.  Cash  like  charity, 
covers  a  multitude  of  sins  and  failure  to  make 
money  is  about  the  only  hell  believed  in  and 
feared.  The  great  contradiction  between  what 
Christians  say  and  do  threatens  to  destroy  the 
churches,  for  even  the  world  will  not  believe 
in  a  lie  preached  in  the  name  of  Jesus.     And 


w 


The  Church  Expectant 


13 


the  ultimat*!  effects  or  invariable  accompani- 
ments of  this  subtle  worldliness  are  seen  in 
cold  and  formal  prayer  meetings  sparsely  at- 
tended ;  in  social  cliques  and  sets  within  the 
church ;  in  machinery  without  power  to  move 
it;  in  pointless  and  vapory  preaching;  in  a 
spirit  of  unchristian  criticism ;  in  tolerance  of 
evil  under  the  name  of  charity;  in  a  delirium 
of  covetousness ;  in  lives  without  love  and  in  a 
cooling  and  thinning  of  the  spiritual  fervor  and 
passion  of  the  people  at  large. 

If  there  is  need  of  revival  as  an  escape  from 
frivolity  in  and  out  of  the  Church  there  is  even 
greater  need  of  such  a  revival  as  a  cure  for  the 
commercialism  of  the  time  which  has  laid  its 
vulgar  and  sordid  touch  upon  all  things  sacred 
and  threatens  to  degrade  the  holy  relationships 
in  Christ  to  the  selfi'^h  level  of  the  market.  It 
is  now  commonly,  if  not  universally,  held  that 
firancial  success  is  proof  positive  that  a 
church  is  prosperous.  The  man  who  has  the 
money  must  be  treated  tenderly,  because  he 
has  the  money,  for  it  is  very  evident  that  no 
church  can  be  carried  on  without  him.  VThile 
there  are  grand  exceptions  it  is  true,  as 
Dr.  Josiah  Strong  points  out,  that  the  Chris- 
tian sense  of  debtorship  has  not  mastered 
money  as  it  has  learning.      A  preacher   or 


14  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

physician  or    teacher  who  works  simply  for 
money,   that  is  for  self,  is  shunned  and  de- 
spised;  but  a  business   man  or  laborer  who 
works   for  money,  that  is  for  self,  is  lauded 
and  honored  for  his  ability  if  he  is  successful. 
Ruskin,  after  showing  how  the  soldier  dies  for 
his   country,  the  scholar  for  knowledge,  the 
preacher  for  righteousness,  the  artist  for  art, 
asks,    "For  what   does    the  merchant    die?' 
What  is  the  answer?    One  might  safely  guar- 
antee that  no  pastor  or  church  would  know 
how  to  begin  or  be  quite  sure  that  they  ought 
to  begin  discipline  of  members  personally  con- 
nected with    the    legal    iniquities  of    modern 
stock  gambling.      Yet  this  daily  substitution 
of  the  spirit  of  self  for   the   Christian   spirit 
of  service  does  more  to  neutralize  the  power 
of  the  gospel  than  any  other  single  influence. 
Consciously  or  unconsciously  we  have  adopted 
unchristian  social  standards  and  have  brought 
our   Church    relations    under    the    paralyzing 
sway  of  a  commercialism  without  conscience 
and  which  is  the  very  incarnation  of  selfishness. 
On  all  sides  one  hears  of  debts  that  drag 
upon  mission  work  and  hamper  progress.     In 
sections  like    rural   New   England  we    were 
recently  told  by  no  less  an  authority  than  a 
Governor  of  one  of  the  States,  that  the  in- 


The  Church  Kxpcctant 


15 


habitants,  many  of  them  aliens,  are  fast  fall- 
ing  into  practical  paganism.  And  on  the 
other  hand,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the 
Churches  have  failed  to  adequately  meet  the 
need  in  great  cities.  The  whole  path  of  mod- 
ern Church  history  is  strewn  with  the  wreckage 
of  curious  enginery  for  reaching  the  masses, 
which  has  been  tried  and  discarded.  Institu- 
tionalism  as  a  substitute  for  personal,  hand  to 
hand  contact  and  eifort  has  failed.  In  an  hon- 
est endeavor  to  meet  the  strange  new  condi* 
tions  of  the  time  ministers  have  fallen  into  a 
certain  secondaryism  in  preaching  which  has 
been  demonstrated  useless  or  worse  than  tise- 
less  in  effecting  the  end  sought.  It  is  indeed 
a  fact  not  without  comfort,  that  the  multitudes 
show  even  less  appetite  for  the  east  wir  ^  ' 
sensationalism  than  for  the  sincere  milk  of  j 
word.  Not  until  the  pulpit  begins  once  more 
to  make  a  contribution  to  the  constructive 
thought  of  the  time  can  it  regain  its  rightful 
supremacy  in  the  lives  of  men.  For  all  life 
has  a  rational  basis,  and  when  the  great  ele- 
mental truths  of  Christianity  are  restated  in 
terms  of  modern  thought  and  applied  fearlessly 
and  intelligently  to  the  whole  of  life,  social  as 
well  as  individual,  they  will  compel  attention 
and  belief. 


1 6  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


These  grounds  may  be  stated  frankly  with' 
out  charge  of  pessimism.  The  slightest 
acquaintance  with  history  will  show  that  in 
spite  of  them,  taken  in  the  large,  no  century 
since  the  early  ages  «)f  the  Church  has  opened 
under  more  hopeful  spiritual  conditions  than 
the  present.  There  is  darkness  but  it  cannot 
compare  with  that  which  preceded  the  Refor- 
mation of  Luther  and  through  which  Savon* 
arola  shines  as  a  lone  star;  or  even  at  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century  with  its  deistic 
philosophy,  its  ranting  revolutionaryism  and 
its  bold  and  widespread  infidelity  in  word  and 
deed.  But  this  very  fact  makes  our  responsi- 
bility the  greater.  To  sin  against  great  light 
is  worse  than  to  sin  against  no  light  or  little 
light.  And  the  heavy  charge  which  must  be 
laid  against  our  time  is  that  with  all  its  knowl- 
edge it  has  turned  away  from  the  Fountain  of 
Spiritual  Life. 

Aside  from  the  evident  need  of  revival  there 
are  certain  general  grounds  furnished  by  his- 
tory and  analogy  for  this  expectation.  In  all 
periods  of  which  we  have  any  record  revivals 
have  been  the  method  of  spiritual  progress. 
The  Old  Testament  from  Moses  and  Noah  to 
Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  is  almost  monotonous  in 
its  story  of  revival  and  reaction.     Through  the 


The  Church  Expectant 


17 


early  and  middle  ages  of  European  history,  the 
same  is  true.  In  the  eighteenth  century  Ed- 
wards, Whitfield,  and  the  WesleyH,  were  only 
following  the  historical  method;  and  in  our 
own  time  this  has  been  the  story  of  the  high- 
est religious  progress. 

Leaving  the  realm  of  religion  we  find  that 
the  same  law  obtains  in  the  history  of  thought. 
When,  following  the  Turkish  victories  in  the 
East,  Greek  learning  fled  to  the  West,  a 
"Revival  of  Learning"  aroused  Europe  from 
the  intellectual  torpor  of  the  dark  ages. 
Within  the  Lost  fifty  years  a  great  revival  of 
science  has  furnished  modern  philosophy  and 
theology  with  most  of  their  problems  and  has 
revolutionized  all  life.  In  nature  the  same  law 
holds.  The  tide  comes  in  and  goes  out :  winter 
is  followed  by  spring  and  the  full  toned  glories 
of  summer  are  prophecies  of  golden  harvest. 
Industrial  development  is  marked  by  the  same 
law.  Depression  alternates  with  revival  and 
wise  men  who  can  read  the  lesson  of  his- 
tory and  experience  are  careful  in  times  of 
prosperity  to  prepare  for  the  inevitable  reac- 
tion. 

On  these  grounds,  after  the  long  winter  of 
our  discontent,  it  is  strictly  within  the  bounds 
of  reason  to  expect  that  very  soon  there  must 


1 8  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

come  a  gracious  revival   to   the  waiting  and 
needy  Church. 

There  arc  certain  particular  grounds  sup- 
plied by  the  actual  history  of  the  Church  in  the 
past  generation  or  two  and  by  present  condi- 
tions resulting  from  this  history  which  makes 
the  present  expectation  of  revival  reasonable. 
There  has  been  a  wonderful  preparation  in 
thought.  Two  mov^ements  have  absorbed  the 
intellectual  and  moral  energies  of  the  civilized 
world  for  a  long  time.  On  the  one  hand  Sci- 
ence has  been  making  its  contribution  in  the 
realm  of  thought  and  on  the  other  the  awaken- 
ing of  what  is  called  a  social  self-consciousness 
has  deeply  affected  the  practical  attitude  of 
men  towards  the  church  and  towards  spiritual 
truth.  Both  of  these  movements  have  about 
exhausted  themselves  in  the  way  of  positive 
religious  results.  Science  at  first  took  largely 
from  the  spiritual  energies  of  the  Churches  by 
forcing  them  to  defend  the  Bible  and  theology 
from  its  supposed  attack.  At  last  the  battle 
has  been  fought  through  and,  while  vast  areas 
are  still  in  dispute,  in  a  general  way  it  may  be 
said  that  we  know  the  worst  and  best.  Sus- 
pense has  given  place  to  certainty  and  whether 
we  have  been  helped  or  hindered  we  feel  our- 
selves once  more   upon   solid    ground.      One 


The  Church  Expectant 


19 


intellectual  result  traceable  to  modem  science 
has  been  the  "Higher  Criticism."  This  is  an 
attempt  to  apply  the  scientific  method  in  the 
interpretation  of  the  Word  of  God.  It  was  a 
radical  departure  and  has  involved  results 
which  none  could  foresee.  Its  adoption  was 
followed  by  a  period  of  uncertainty  which 
weakened  the  authority  of  the  Word  of  God 
and  in  a  measure  devitalized  preaching.  Un- 
less a  prophet  is  sure  and  can  rest  fearlessly 
and  unreservedly  upon  his  "Thus  saith  the 
Lord"  his  message  will  fall  upon  unheeding 
ears.  The  moment  he  begins  to  weigh  prob- 
abilities and  suggest  doubts,  the  results  of  his 
preaching  vanish  into  the  mists  and  marshes 
of  negativism.  But  the  higher  criticism  has 
now  made  its  contribution,  and  we  have  grown 
familiar  with  its  view  point,  phrases  and 
methods.  What  of  value  it  has  had  to  give, 
the  Churches  have  already  made  a  part  of  their 
intellectual  furniture.  The  air  is  cleared 
and  after  a  long  period  of  indecision  and 
doubt  men  once  more  trust  their  Bibles,  and 
the  pulpit  is  ready  to  speak  and  act  with  au- 
thority. 

On  the  other  hand  the  first  result  of  an 
awakened  social  self-consciousness  was  to 
alienate  the  masses   from  the  Church.      As 


20  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


soon  as  the  multitudes  of  men  ujion  whose 
bowed  forms  our  social  structure  rests  discov- 
ered that  they  were  men,  they  discovered  also 
that  any  progress  they  might  hope  for  must  be 
based  upon  a  moral  foundation,  for  social  im- 
provement is  always  a  matter  of  conscience. 
In  so  far  as  their  claims  were  just  and  right 
they  might  expect  sooner  or  later  to  have 
them  recognized.  It  was  inevitable  that  the 
masses  should  find  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  just  that  moral  ideal  and  standard 
which  best  exprej -cd  their  unspoken  aspira- 
tions and  desires  Turning  to  the  Church  they 
expected  to  meet  a  powerful  and  sympathetic 
ally,  for  the  Church  professed  to  base  its  life 
upon  these  very  teachings  of  Jesus.  But  alas! 
stupified  with  worldliness  and  prostrate  under 
the  sturdy  blows  of  an  unspiritual  rationalism 
the  Church  had  no  answer  for  the  masses,  and 
for  a  whole  generation  or  more  we  have  missed 
our  opportunity.  Mutual  antagonism,  suspi- 
cion, misunderstanding  and  on  the  part  of  the 
working  men  very  often  hatred,  was  the  result. 
We  preached  and  professed  to  believe  the 
moral  ideals  which  formed  the  only  hope  for  the 
masses  and  we  did  not  practice  what  we 
pr'-ached.  The  church  stood  for  religion,  the 
masses  for  morals;  and  both  were  wrong  inas- 


The  Church  Expectant 


31 


much  as  a  half  truth  is  not  the  truth.  Now 
these  a^'-inated  forces  are  coming  together. 
Religion  has  gol  as  far  as  it  can  without  an 
adequate  morality;  and  social  ethics  has  got 
as  far  as  it  can  without  religion.  Working 
men  are  more  sympathetic  than  they  have 
been  towards  the  Church,  and  the  Church 
understands  working  men  better  and  sympa- 
thizes with  them  as  it  has  not  done  for  a  long 
time.  It  is  dawning  upon  all  classes  that  if  we 
accept  the  morals  of  Jesus  we  mast  accept  His 
re  ^ion  also,  since  these  are  related  as  eflfect 
and  cause  in  His  life  and  in  the  experience  of 
His  true  followers. 

Still  another  movement  must  be  noted, 
deeper  and  more  universal,  which  appears  as  a 
door  opened  by  the  hand  of  God  through  which 
He  beckons  the  church  to  wider  dominion. 
All  observers  must  have  marked  the  startling 
changes  heralded  if  not  produced  by  the  new 
"Imperialism."  The  political  ideals  and 
problems  of  a  generation  ago  are  now  obso- 
lete. Nationalism  has  expanded  into  imperial- 
ism; not  because  the  national  sentiment  has 
weakened  but  rather  because  it  has  become 
regnant  in  all  countries.  A  true  world  con- 
sciousness has  at  last  been  awakened.  The 
earth  has  shrunk  to  a  neighborhood.      Com- 


22  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


merce  is  now  a  matter  of  continents  and 
hemispheres.  The  sea  no  longer  divides  but 
rather  unites  all  lands.  The  view  point  for 
the  new  century  in  politics  and  business  is 
that  of  world  citizenship.  The  Chinese  puzzle 
is  puzzling  because  it  has  revealed,  as  by  a 
lightning  flash  at  midnight,  the  solidarity  of 
the  race,  the  community  of  life,  the  complete 
oneness  of  all  human  interests  and  problems. 
No  country  or  civilization  is  any  longer  iso- 
lated. Into  the  matrix  of  a  common  life  all 
civilizations  are  flung  and  mui '  give  and  take 
what  they  can.  No  one  can  forecast  the  na- 
ture of  the  new  product,  the  universal  man 
which  will  spring  out  of  this  combination. 
One  thing  is  certain,  ail  peoples  will  be  modi- 
fied in  ideal,  institution  and  method.  If  China 
takes  our  products  we  will  have  to  take  hers. 
If  we  press  upon  her  on  all  sides  she  will  im- 
print her  outlines  indelibly  upon  us.  And  we 
cannot  escape  the  contact.  If  we  carry  the 
boasted  light  of  our  civilization  to  Africa,  then 
African  darkness  will  dim  our  light.  The 
mighty  hand  of  God  is  pressing  the  nations  to- 
gether. Henceforth  no  man  can  live  or  die 
unto  himself. 

It  was  the  poet's  drr-am  that  some  day  we 
should  witness  a  federation  of  mankind.     The 


The  Church  Expectant 


23 


task  of  the  new  century  from  which  there  is  no 
escape  will  be  to  realize  that  dream. 

"  What  whispers  are  these,  O  Lands, 
Running  ahead  of  you,  passing  under  the  seas? 
Are  all  nations  comiruning  ? 
Is  there  going  to  be  but  one  heart  to  the  Globe  ? " 

Whitman  is  dead,  but  we  can  see  now  near  at 
hand  what  he,  with  prophetic  vision,  saw  afar 
off.  Yes,  there  is  going  to  be  one  heart  to 
the  Globe.  The  hour  of  destiny  has  struck. 
And  herein  lies  the  absolute  certainty  that  the 
Church  will  revive.  For  if  commerce  and 
statesmanship  see  the  new  universalism ;  see 
and  accept  it  and  develop  policies  and  machin- 
eries to  utilize  and  express  it  to  pecuniary  and 
political  profit,  how  much  more  must  we  who 
live  the  life  of  Him  who  died  for  all  the  world 
see  the  need  and  opportunity  and  take  up  with 
glad  hearts  the  new  and  grander  task.  Great 
God !  speak  unto  Thy  people  that  they  go  for- 
ward. For  this  hour  we  have  waited  long. 
Surely  it  is  time  for  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
to  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea. 
Into  the  political  and  commercial  impulse  that 
has  dwarfed  the  globe  to  the  limits  of  a  market 
town  we  must  breathe  the  spiritual  impulse  of 
Christian  debtorship.  Christian  love  and 
brotherhood;   else   the   new   propinquity  will 


24  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

mean  anarchy.  Races  differ  but  they  all  are 
men.  Their  common  qualities  lie  below  poli- 
tics and  trade,  in  the  deeps  of  a  common 
humanity.  This  is  the  g^round  for  religion. 
If  lust  of  gold  hurls  race  against  race  in  pas- 
sionate battle  for  possession  of  the  material 
resources  of  the  earth,  love  of  God  must  be 
everywhere  to  soften  the  impact  and  change 
competition  to  co-operation,  rivalry  to  brother- 
hood. If  lust  of  land,  which  is  a  marked 
symptom  of  national  imperialism,  makes  the 
strong  ruthless  of  the  rights  of  the  weak,  then 
the  Church  which  is  the  conscience  of  the  world 
must  be  everywhere  present,  militant  and  fear- 
less, speaking  with  authority  and  transforming 
a  perverted  patriotism  into  universal  love, 

"  Then  let  us  pray  that  come  it  may 
As  come  it  will  for  a'  that, 
That  man  to  man  the  warld  o'er 
Shall  brothers  be  for  a'  that." 

There  must  soon  be  a  great  revival  of  mis- 
sionary zeal  and  effort.  The  conditions  de- 
mand it;  nay,  make  it  absolutely  necessary. 
The  wise  men  from  the  east  did  not  fail  to  see 
and  follow  the  Saviour's  star;  Saul  of  Tarsus 
did  not  miss  the  Light  from  Heaven  on  his  way 
to  Damascus;  William  Carey  did  not  fail  to 
hear  the  new  call  to  world-wide  evangelization 


The  Church  Expectant 


25 


at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century.      Nor 
shall  the  Church  to-day  remain  deaf  to  the  loud 
Voice  of  God  calling  her  to  take  the  world  for 
Christ,    which    He    has    in     His    Providence 
brought  to  her  very  feet.     Because  there  l\ 
supreme  opportunity  and  need  at  the  present 
time  of  a  great  aggressive  religious  movement, 
extensively  over  the  whole  world  and  inten- 
sively through  all  social  strata,  God  will  revive 
His  Church.     Surely  we  have  come  into  the 
Kingdom  for  such  a  time  as  this  and  if  we  do 
not  the  work  to  be  done  then  shall  God  raise  up 
from  some  other  source  those  who  will. 

Since,  then,  we  are  once  more  upon  firm 
ground  in  our  thinking  and  have  re-opened 
communication  with  the  alienated  masses  and 
re-established  ourselves  in  their  confidence; 
since  the  whole  world  has  suddenly  become  an 
open  door  for  evangelization,  may  we  not  on 
these  grounds  fairly  expect  a  great  revival? 

A  first  feature  of  the  coming  revival  will  be 
its  emphasis  upon  the  teachings  of  Jesus.  As 
pointed  out  by  Dr.  Stalker  in  his  admirable 
"Christology  of  Jesus,"  great  attention  has 
been  paid  during  the  last  half  of  this  century 
to  the  Life  of  Christ  and  now  that  this  field  has 
been  exploited  the  minds  of  biblical  students 
are  turning,  naturally,  to  His  teachings.     This 


26  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


movement  expresses  itself  in  the  new  science 
of  Biblical  Theology  and  is  helped  by  a  recoil 
from  the  Pauline  conception  of  truth  which  has 
obtained  since  the  Reformation.  We  had 
considered  salvation  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
receiver  so  long  that  it  was  inevitable  we 
should  soon  begin  to  think  of  it  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  Giver.  The  cry  "Back  to 
Christ"  whatever  its  origin  or  motive  will  have 
a  real  meaning  for  some  time  to  come  and  our 
Lord's  words,  as  well  as  His  character  and 
work,  will  be  studied  with  fresh  interest. 

This  will  affect  theology  on  the  one  hand  by 
making  it  more  practical  and  sociology  on  the 
other  by  making  it  more  religious.  Dr.  W.  N. 
Clarke  in  speaking  of  the  Christian  Doctrine 
shows  how  it  has  been  elaborated  by  philos- 
ophy, formalized  by  organization,  and  scat- 
tered and  vitalized  by  Individualism.  He 
might  have  gone  further  and  told  how  it  has 
been  intellectualized  by  science  which  has 
taught  us  to  distinguish  clearly  between  the 
fact  and  its  explanation,  between  reality  and 
hypothesis ;  and  how  it  has  been  ethicalized, 
if  I  may  so  speak,  by  socialism  which  has 
quickened  love,  inbreathed  our  social  thought 
with  a  spirit  of  compassion  and  revived  the 
sense  of  social  debtorship. 


The  Church  Expectant 


27 


The  coming  revival  will   be   marked   by  a 
return   to  apostolic  methods.      The   personal 
rather  than   the   institutional  agency  will  be 
foremost.      We  are  now   too  often  tied  to  a 
building  or  crippled  by  an  organization.     The 
present  popular  idea  of  a  revival  is  of  great 
meetings  with   the  contagions  enthusiasm  of 
numbers  accompanied  or   caused  by  more   or 
less    direct    appeal    from    the   pulpit.       It   is 
doubtful   if   in  the   coming   revival   so   much 
emphasis  will  be  put  upon  special  meetings; 
but  rather  Churches  and  pastors  will  carry  on 
their  work  steadily,  persistently  and  quietly  in 
their  own   way.      Preaching    will    never    be 
superseded   in  any  age.       It   is   the  divinely 
ordained   method  of    proclaiming   the    truth. 
But  the  preaching  of  the  future,  as  in  early 
ages,  will  not  be  confined  to  the  ministry.     In- 
dividual members  of  the  Church  will  feel  that 
they  are  each  called  to  be  witnesses  in  life  and 
deed   and  word  to  the  blessed  power  of  the 
Lord.     In  the  transaction  of  business,    in  the 
giving  and  taking  of  the   exchanges,   in  the 
close  touch  and  stress  of  politics,  in  the  lighter 
and  happier   amenities  of  social   intercourse. 
Christian  men  and  women  will  endeavor  to  set 
forth  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified.      The 
preacher  will   be   the    hand  and   bis  church 


■  s 

I 

i. 

f 


28  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

members  will  be  the  fingers  which  together, 
thrilled  by  the  divine  energy  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  will  grip  and  lift  the  community.  A 
return  to  apostolic  methods  will  mean  a  revival 
of  apostolic  righteousness.  Not  righteousness 
of  theory  but  actual  righteousness  of  character 
as  taught  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  in 
the  Epistles.  Then  we  shall  take  seriously  the 
statement  that  the  Lord's  disciples  are  the  salt 
of  the  earth,  the  light  of  ihe  world,  His  wit- 
nesses;  then  we  shall  endeavor  to  become 
doers  as  well  as  hearers,  followers  as  well  as 
believers  and  a  regenerated  life  will  mean  a 
regenerated  living. 

The  essential  message  of  gospel  preaching 
can  never  greatly  vary.  Certain  truths  are 
always  new.  Life,  death,  love,  holiness,  sor- 
row,  sin,  these  are  as  new  to  each  individual 
to-day  as  they  were  to  the  first  man.  How  to 
live;  how  to  face  the  vicissitudes  of  time  and 
the  mystery  of  eternity,  these  constitute  in  all 
ages  the  vital  message  of  the  preacher.  These 
are  questions  which  the  preacher  must  answer 
and,  if  he  would  rise  to  the  height  of  his  great 
opportunity,  he  can  only  answer  them  by 
preaching  Jesus  Christ  as  slain  for  the  world's 
sin  and  risen  for  its  justification. 

In  all  this  it  is  implied  that  the  Holy  Spirit 


The  Church  Expectant 


29 


will  be  present.  We  sometimes  speak  of  the 
enduemcnt  with  power  as  though  it  were  an 
accidental  artificial  thinjj.  But  it  will  always 
be  true  that  God  manifests  Himself  to  each 
man  or  Church  just  in  proportion  as  that  man 
or  Church  is  doing  his  will.  We  are  not  con- 
scious of  His  presence  and  do  not  have  his 
Power  because  we  do  not  the  things  that  are 
pleasing  unto  Him.  When  we  seek  to  know 
the  mind  of  the  Master  and  follow  in  His  steps 
and  bear  our  cross  daily,  hourly,  putting  Christ 
first  and  counting  self  nothing  then  we  shall 
realize  the  presence  of  the  Spirit.  **Lo  I  am 
with  you  alway  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world."  This  promise  is  true,  but  we  can 
only  realize  that  Presence  in  proporton  as  we 
"preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature. "  The 
Spirit  is  given  to  lead  us  into  all  truth  but  if 
we  refuse  to  face  the  truth  of  character,  of  ex- 
perience, of  sacrifice,  of  work,  as  well^as  the 
truth  of  logic  and  theology,  we  cannot  be 
conscious  that  the  Spirit  is  with  us.  It  will 
always  be  true  that  consciousness  of  God  is 
the  only  preparation  that  can  make  preach- 
ers and  preaching  effective.  Carlyle  speaks  of 
a  pile  of  dry  sticks  that  remained  only  dry  sticks 
until  fire  fell  from  heaven  and  ignited  them. 
Such  is  the  church  apart  from  the  supernatural. 


30  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

The  new  revival  will  powerfully  affect  the 
daily  lives  of  Christians.      It  will  make  a  dis- 
tinction  in  the  way  a  Christian  man  works  and 
enjoys  himself  and  the  way  an  unconverted 
man  docs  these  thing's.     It  will  be  marked  by 
a  return  to  the  morality  of  the  golden  rule.     It 
will  make  all  living  reliy:ious  and  all  religion 
living.     That  is  to  say,  the  new  revival  will 
once  more  give  the  Church  her  right  leadership 
in  thought  and  social  life.     To  properly  realize 
itself  organized  life  must  grow  more  and  more 
religious  and  moral.      The   Church   has   per- 
mitted herself  to  be  elbowed  to  one  side;  and 
the  sharp  distinctions  which  give  her    message 
a  meaning  have  been  blurred.     Too  often  she 
has  assumed  a  faltering  and  apologetic  tone 
and  as  a  result  has  lost  her  divine  and  heaven- 
given  leadership  in  the  affairs  of  men.     What 
do  the  sixjculators  who  crowd  the  exchanges 
of  our   orreat   cities   care   for  the   onin-nn   of 
preache.-s  and  churches?     Absolutely  noinmg. 
What  does  the  foul  brood  of  criminal  politicians 
battening  upon  the  festering  pollutions  of  our 
civic  body  care  for  the  churches?     How  much 
heed  does  commercial  greed  give  to  the  ad- 
monitions of  the  pulpit  against  covetousness? 
When  has  it  happened  that  worldliness  paused 
with  whitened  cheek  and  hushed  its  gay  self- 


The  Church  Hxpcctant  31 

ishness  at  the  stern  rebuke  of  the  preacher> 
To  what  extent  do  the  brothel  and  saloon  feel 
the  restraint  of  a  Christian  conscience  in  the 
great  cities  of  civilization?  When  Christian 
preachers  and  Christian  people,  inbreathed 
with  the  Spirit  of  Jesus,  withdraw  from  taking 
part  in  this  organized  selfishness,  it  will 
crumble  instantly  to  the  ground.  Let  the  fol- 
lowers  of  Jesus  come  thumlcring  at  the  i>ortals 
of  these  strongholds  of  respectable  crime, 
thundering  there  against  hypocrisy;  against 
outrageous  selfishness,  and  cruelty;  uttering 
there  the  solemn  warninj;s  of  the  divine  law 
(first  taking  the  precaution  to  obey  that  law 
themselves)  and  then  men  will  care  what  the 
Church  thinks. 

The  new  revival  will  result  in  a  vast  expan- 
sion of  missionary  effort  at  home  and  abroad, 
in  evangelization  and  education.  For  it  will 
stimulate  giving  and  going;  and  men  will  give 
themselves  and  give  their  monev  when  once 
they  re-learn  the  spirit  of  Christ  who  gave 
Himself  for  the  sins  of  the  worid;  and  of  the 
chief  apostle  who  acknowledged  himself  to  be 
debtor  both  to  Jew  and  Gentile,  wise  and  sim- 
ple, bond  and  free. 

A  great  revival   would   settle  most  of  our 
problems;    heal  differences;    purge  pride,  and 


32  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

unite  the  churches  in  the  compelling  passion 
of  divine  ideals  and  service.  By  contrast  it 
would  quicken  that  wholesome  sense  of  sin 
which  seems  almost  to  have  vanished  from  the 
world.  It  would  lift  Christian  and  Unchristian 
alike  out  of  the  atmosphere  of  deadly  indiffer- 
ence which  enwraps  us  like  a  shroud.  It 
would  set  us  free  from  that  shallow  and  base- 
less optimism  which  is  worse  than  pessimism 
in  its  paralyzing  effects  upon  an  aggressive 
and  self-sacrificing  Christianity.  It  would 
restore  once  more  a  belief  in  the  authority  of 
the  Bible  which  as  Chillingworta  said  is  and 
always  must  be  the  religion  of  Protestants.  It 
would  give  to  preachers  a  real  message  and  so 
make  impossible  the  present  pointless  preach- 
ing which  seems  to  be  without  any  perceivable 
foundation  either  in  philosophy  or  experience. 
It  would  rebuke  and  break  the  sordid  and  soul 
destroying  materialism  of  the  present  time. 
In  the  realms  of  thought,  of  business,  of  pleas- 
ure, of  heart  experience,  in  the  individual,  in 
society,  in  politics,  it  would  manifest  itself  as  a 
cleansing  and  purifying  energy  direct  from 
God. 

Our  personal  responsibility  in  this  matter  is 
perfectly  plain.  We  cannot  go  round  it,  or 
underneath  it,  or  through  it.     While  I  keep  the 


The  Church  Expectant 


33 


revival  away  from  myself  by  indifference  or 
failure  to  do  or  be  I  am  responsible  for  its 
keeping  away.     When  the  Spirit  entered  the 
Church  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  they  were  of 
one  mini  in  one  place  waiting  and  expecting 
and  they  straightway  went   forth   doin'^  and 
speaking  as  the  Spirit   taught;    until  at  last  it 
was  said  of  them  that  they  turned  the  world 
upside  down.     That  first  great  revival  which 
followed  shortly  after  the  time  when  "they  all 
forsook  Ilim  and  fled"  did  not  burn  itself  out 
in  mere  feeling  or  argumentation  but  took  per- 
manent form  in  work  and  life  and  institution. 
Surely   to-day   fields  are    white    and   harvest 
waiting  and  it  is  for  each  who  calls  himself  a 
follower,  in  all  humility  and  honesty  to  say, 
"Here  am  I,  send  me." 


The  priests  said  not,  Where  is  the  Lord' and  they  that 
handle  the  law  knew  nie  not;  the  pasiors  u^so  transgressed 
against  me,  ami  the  i)r<)i)hets  jjrophcsied  by  H.ial,  and  walked 
after  thinjjs  that  do  not  pniJit.  Hath 'a  nation  changed 
their  gods,  which  are  yet  no  gods?  but  my  peojjle  have 
changed  their  glory  for  that  which  doth  not  profit.  He 
astonished,  <>  ve  heavens,  at  this,  and  bo  hornbly  afraid,  lie 
ye  very  desolate,  saith  the  Lord.  For  my  peopk-  have  com- 
mitted' two  evils;  they  have  forsaken  me  the  fountain  of 
living  waters,  and  hewed  them  out  cisterns,  broken  cisterns, 
that  can  hold  no  water.  Thine  own  wickedness  shall  correct 
thee,  and  thy  backslidings  shall  reprove  thee.  Know  there- 
fore and  see  that  it  is  iin  evil  thing  and  bitter,  that  thou 
hast  forsaken  the  Lord  thy  Cmd.  and  that  my  fear  is  not  in 
thee,  s;iith  the  Lord  (iod  of  ha^ts.—Jeremta/!. 

But  when  the  righteous  turneth  away  from  his  righteous- 
ness, andcommittelhinifiuiiy,  and  d.it'thacconling  to  all  the 
abominations  that  the  wicked  man  doelh,  shall  he  live^ 
All  his  righteousness  that  he  hath  d<inc  shall  not  be  men- 
tioned;  in  his  trespas.s  that  he  hath  trespassed,  and  in  his 
sin  that  he  hatli  sinned,  in  them  shall  he  die. — J-'.:ikicl. 

Even  from  the  days  of  your  fathers  ye  are  gone  away 
from  mine  ordinances,  and'  have  not  kept  them.  Return 
unto  me,  and  I  will  return  unto  you,  sailh  the  Lord  of  hosts. 
Hut  ye  said,  Wherein  shall  we  return^  Will  a  man  rob  ( lod? 
Vet  ye  have  robbed  me.  But  ye  say.  Wherein  have  we  roblK;(l 
thee?  In  tithes  and  offering's.  Ve  are  cursed  with  a  curse; 
for  ye  have  robbed  me,  even  this  whole  nation.  Your  words 
have  been  stout  again.st  me.  saith  the  Lord.  Yet  ye  say, 
What  have  we  sjxjken  so  much  against  thee?  Ye  have  said. 
It  is  vain  to  serve  God;  and  what  profit  is  it  that  we  have 
kept  his  ordinance,  and  that  we  have  walked  mournfully 
l)efore  the  Lord  of  hosts?  And  now  wc  call  the  proud  hajipy  ; 
yea.  they  that  work  wickedness  are  set  up;  yea,  they  that 
tempt  God  are  even  delivered.  — Malachi. 


i^ 


CHAPTER    II 


THE    NEED    OF    REVIVAL 

Religious  revival  is  a  deepened  sense  of 
God.  To  many  revival  is  synonymous  with 
certain  means  used  in  its  promotion:  special 
meetings,  and  music;  a  distinct  type  of  preach- 
ing and  undue  excitements  and  extravagances. 
But  it  would  be  as  logical  to  say  that  harvest 
consists  in  mowing  machines  and  reapers  as 
that  these  incidentals  constitute  revival. 

It  is  admitted  that  the  ideal  method  of  reli- 
gious growth  would  be  to  develop  steadily  and 
(juietly  without  undue  excitements  or  reac- 
tions. But  we  have  to  live  our  daily  life  under 
abnormal  conditions.  The  actual  every  day 
world  is  full  of  excitements  and  momentary 
interests  designed  to  advance  selfish  ends. 
There  is  a  good  deal  in  Charles  G.  Finney's 
theory  that  the  excitements  of  the  world  need 
to  be  counteracted  by  religious  excitements. 
For  instance  the  three  chief  Engli.-.h  s^jcaking 
countries  have  just  closed  great  political  con- 
tests.     By   persistent   appeal    to   reason   and 


I, 


38  The  Old  Evr.ngcl  and  New  Evangelism 

motives  less  exalted,  each  party  sought  to  lead 
the  people  to  choose  them  as  the  government. 
Ought  not  Christians  to  be  equally  excited  in 
order  to  lead  men  to  choose  Christ  as  their 
Saviour,  to  choose  life  rather  than  death, 
heaven  rather  than  hell,  the  government  of 
God  rather  than  the  government  of  Satan? 
The  British  Empire  is  ncaring  the  close  of  a 
great  war  which  has  thrilled  all  classes,  races 
and  creeds  with  the  excitements  of  patriotism. 
The  populace  in  all  parts  of  the  Empire  wel- 
come home  their  soldiers  as  heroes.  Whatever 
of  good  the  war  has  brought  is  accepted  and 
magnified;  the  evil  results  are  overlooked 
where  possible  or,  under  the  light  of  criticism, 
are  made  stepping  stones  to  better  things. 
Ought  not  Christian  men  to  be  as  eager  to 
advance  the  Kingdom  of  Christ  as  to  advance 
the  empire  of  Britain?  Are  not  the  chariots 
of  the  Lord  which  are  twenty  thousand  more 
glorious  than  any  army  with  banners?  If  men 
gladly  give  themselves  to  die  for  country, 
ought  they  not  to  be  equally  ready  to  live  for 
God  and  for  their  fellowmen?  There  is 
reasonable  objection  to  certain  transient 
features  of  religious  revival,  but  shall  we 
abolish  summer  rains  because  sometimes  they 
create  floods  and  sweep  away  bridges?    Shall 


The  Need  of  Revival 


39 


we  abolish  government  because  men  get  ex- 
cited over  politics?  Shall  wc  surrender  to 
disease  because  some  doctors  make  mistakes? 
And  shall  we  avoid  revival  because  it  produces 
a  few  fanatics  and  is  followed  by  an  occasional 
reaction? 

That  there  is  great  need  of  revival  to-day  is 
evident  to  all.  The  Church  has  allowed  poli- 
tics, business  and  speculative  thought  to  get 
beyond  her  influence  as  a  spiritual  impulse 
and  ethical  standard.  Modern  reforms  which 
have  as  their  end  the  betterment  of  men's  lot 
hsve  sprung  very  largely  from  a  diffused 
Christianity,  and  too  often  the  bearing  of  the 
Church  toward  them  is  cold  and  imfeeling,  if 
not  actually  antagonistic.  Vast  mission  inter- 
ests lanj^^uish  for  need  of  money,  when  Chris- 
tian men  and  women  are  entrusted  with 
countless  millions.  Rationalism  has  quenched 
spirituality.  Form  has  taken  the  place  of  life, 
and  the  Church  has  succumbed  to  the  refined 
materialism  of  the  age.  To  state  this  is  not  to 
be  a  pessimist.  These  are  facts.  Jeremiah 
was  not  a  pessimist;  he  v.-as  a  iru*  .i  teller;  nor 
was  Jesiis  a  pessimist  when  He  sadly  asked, 
"When  the  Son  of  Man  cometh  shall  He  find 
faith  on  the  earth?" 

Some     might     misinterpret     these     words. 


40  The  Old  Evangel  an('  New  Evangelism 


fe 


They   mijjht   ask.   Why  abuse  and   scold   the 
Church  and  church  members'     To  all  such  let 
me  put  a  (juestion.     Are   you  satisfied?     Are 
you  surticiently  conscious  of  God?     Have  you 
already  attained,  unlike  the  Apostle   Paul,  so 
that  you  do  not  need  to  prc-s  on  in  order   o 
know  Jesus  and  the  power  of  His  endless  life 
and  the  fellowship  of  His  sufferings?     Do  you 
love  God  with  all  your  heart,  and  with  all  your 
mind,   and  with    all   your  strength,  and  your 
neighbor  as  yourself?     The  churches  are  all 
blessed  with  a  proportion  of  really  Christian 
men  and  women,   whose  giving  and    prayers 
and  unselfish  service  keep  the  world  from  fall- 
ing into  ruin.     These   are  the  Church,      But 
these  are  not  satisfied.     They  feel  a  deep  need 
of  revival.     It  is  only  the  dead  and  frivolous 
and    indifferent    that   are    satisfied.       Modern 
scribes  and  pharisees,  hypocrites,  cleansing  the 
outside  of  the  i)lattcr;  whited  sepulchers,  self- 
deceived,    measuring    themselves     by    them- 
selves,   in    daily  deadly  danger  of   crucifying 
their  Lord  afresh  and  putting  Him  to  an  open 
shame, — these  are  the  satisfied  ones. 

We  need  a  revival  of  religion  because  of  our 
lack  of  love.  This  is  the  center  and  core  of 
Christianity.  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  mind, 


The  Need  of  Revival 


41 


and  with  all  thy  strength,  and  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself."  Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law. 
Though  I  give  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor, 
though  I  speak  with  the  tongue  of  men  and  of 
angels,  though  I  prophesy  in  the  name  of 
Christ  and  give  my  body  to  be  burned,  and 
have  not  love,  I  am  as  nothing — a  failure. 
What  I  think  to  be  life  is  mere  sounding  brass 
and  tinkling  cymbal.  You  love  them  that  love 
you,  your  families,  your  friends,  but  what 
thank  have  ye?  Do  not  the  heathen  the  same? 
When  you  make  a  feast  you  invite  persons 
agreeable  to  yourself,  for  your  enjoyment  and 
theirs.  This  is  not  a  sin,  but  it  is  no  belter 
than  the  heathen,  for  they  do  the  same  The 
Christian  feast  is  for  the  poor  and  the  home- 
less and  friendless.  The  Christian  love  is  for 
one's  enemies.  The  Christian  service  is  for 
the  disagreeable  and  weak  and  vicious  and 
unclean.  The  Christian  duty  is  to  all  the 
world.  But  Christian  men  live  under  rules 
and  standards  that  are  the  incarnation  of  self- 
ishness. There  is  no  love  in  business,  no  love 
in  war,  no  love  in  modern  pleasure.  God  is 
love,  and  religious  revival  is  a  deepened  and 
q-ickened  knowledge  of  God.  This  we  need. 
"Woe  to  them  that  are  at  ease  in  Zion,"  is 
the    solemn  word  of   the   prophet.       Because 


11 


42  The  Old  Evangel  -r.d  New  Evangelism 


n: 


n 


i   I 


many  are  in  a  cold  and  backslidden  state  of  in- 
difference to  opportunity,  and  without  sense  of 
obligation,  there  is  need  of  revival.  Because 
they  are  at  ease  in  Zion,  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
writes  over  their  portals,  "Woe  unto  you." 
Frivolous  and  selfish  wives,  deadening  the  reli- 
gious life  of  husbands;  worldly  and  godless 
husbands,  making  it  difficult  for  their  wives  to 
live  as  Christians;  parents  a  stumbling-block 
to  growing  children  and  a  byword  to  them 
that  are  without;  professing  Christians  mad 
with  lust  of  gold  and  place  and  power;  silent 
and  unfeeling  in  the  face  of  social  wrong; 
without  compassion  for  the  multitude;  ambi- 
tious for  social  preferment,  given  over  to  van- 
ity, envious,  skilled  in  the  hypocrisies  and 
expedients  of  selfishness,  denying  daily  in 
word  and  deed  the  power  of  godliness.  Surely 
these  need  revival. 

The  Bible  is  full  of  promises  conditioned 
upon  the  prayer  of  faith,  and  Jesus  has  prom- 
ised wheresoever  two  or  three  are  gathered  in 
His  name  to  be  in  their  midst.  But  take  the 
average  prayer  meeting.  What  formality! 
What  abyssmal  stupidity!  Words!  Words! 
Words !  No  passion  of  Gethsemane ;  no  glory 
of  Transfiguration;  no  answer.  Like  the 
heathen,  we  seem  to  think  we  shall  be  heard 


i  ' 


'  h 


The  Need  of  Rc\ival 


43 


fur  our  mucli  speaking  Like  the  prophets  of 
Haul,  we  cry  aloml  as  ihou;;h  (Jod  were  afar  off 
and  would  not  hoar,  while  He  says,  "Ask  and 
ye  shall  receive,  seek  and  ye  shall  find,  knock 
and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you,  for  every  one 
that  asketh  rcccivcth;  he  that  sceketh  findeth, 
and  to  him  that  knockcth  it  shall  be  opened." 
There  is  a  command,  as  truly  a  command  as 
any  given  by  Moses  or  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount.  *'Be  filled  with  the  Spirit."  If  there 
is  one  question  more  than  another  that  oaght 
to  be  asked  the  modern  church  it  is  this: 
"Did  ye  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  when  ye  be- 
lieved?" There  is  an  immense  amount  of  talk, 
wise  and  otherwise,  about  the  Spirit.  We 
need  less  talk  about  the  Spirit  and  more  of  the 
Spirit  Himself.  There  is  a  mystic  calling  to 
service  which  is  the  high  privilege  and  blessing 
of  every  Christian.  There  is  an  inner  anoint- 
ing with  power  for  service  which  i.s  not  only 
the  privilege,  but  the  duty  of  every  believer  to 
secure.  How  few  Christians  there  are  who  can 
lead  an  inquiring  soul  to  a  knowledge  of  Jesus  I 
They  are  without  excuse.  To  say  that  they 
cannot  do  this  is  to  hide  behind  a  lie.  There 
is  not  a  housewife  but  can  teach  her  maid  to 
cook  and  clean  and  sew;  not  a  mother  but  can 
teach  her  children  the  elements  of  etiquette; 


.J4  The  Old  Kvangcl  and  New  llvanjijelistii 


f 


hi 


M 


not  an  artisan  hut  can  talk  jntclli^^cntly  about 
the  trade  he  has  mastircd;  not  a  scholar  but 
can  give  sonic  account  of  what  he  know > ;  not 
a  political  partisan  who  is  not  eager  t  >  explain 
his  views;  not  a  lawyer  but  stands  ready  to 
argue  any  case,  pro  or  con;  xv<i  a  doctor  who 
cannot  give  some  reason  for  the  cure  he  pre- 
scribes; not  a  business  man  l)ut  can  train 
others  for  his  business.  But  many  of  these  say 
that  they  cannot  talk  to  another  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  religion.  That  is,  they  have  not  learned 
Jesus,  whose  they  are  and  whom  they  say  they 
serve,  as  they  have  learned  their  business. 
Most  men  can  talk  intelligently  upon  what  they 
know.  It  is  evident  that  in  this  ease  they  do 
not  know  their  subject,  else  they  could  speak 
that  which  they  know  and  testify  that  they 
have  seen.  Unless  men  can  take  knowledge 
of  believers  that  they  have  been  with  Jesus  it 
is  pretty  nearly  certain  that  they  have  not  been 
with  Him.  This  is  a  point  that  Christian  men 
do  well  to  ponder. 

It  sounds  seriously  like  cant  with  our  low 
type  of  Christian  living,  but  the  chief  need  of 
revival  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  church  is  sur- 
rounded by  immense  numbers  of  unsaved 
people.  If  the  Bible  is  true,  if  its  simple, 
direct  words  have  any  reasonable  meaning,  it 


i  5 


The  Need  of  Revival 


45 


IS  a  fatt  that  jrrecdy,  worldly,  indiilcrciu 
church  jucmbcis  will  L  responsible  for  scnd- 
'"K  ;;rcal  numbers  of  unbelievers  into  outer 
darkness.  "Ye  are  my  friends  if  ye  do  what- 
soever I  have  commanded  you."  "By  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  A  professinjj 
Christian  who  by  his  life  produces  skepticism, 
scorn  and  inditTcrence  in  the  minds  of  those 
about  him  is  not  producing  fruits  that  can  be 
traced  to  the  Spirit  of  God.  On  that  day  many 
of  these  shall  say.  "Lord,  did  we  not  prophesy 
in  Thy  name,  and  in  Thy  name  do  many  won- 
derful works'  Then  shall  He  say  unto  them, 
"Depart  from  me  ye  that  work  iniquity;  I 
never  knew  you."  It  is  a  fact  that  many  par- 
ents who  have  unconverted  children  seldom  or 
never  speak  to  them  of  their  danger.  Perhaps 
their  lips  are  sealed  because  they  know  that  to 
their  children,  who  know  them  so  well,  the 
words  would  have  no  force.  For  many  a 
Christian  employer  to  speak  to  his  workmen 
of  the  love  of  Jesus  would  be  to  cause  bitter 
mirth  and  deepen  the  conviction  among  them 
that  he  is  a  hypocrite.  Those  who  do  not  con- 
fess Jesus  with  their  lips  because  they  consider 
their  example  sufficient,  too  often  furnish  an 
example  of  everything  but  Christianity.  But 
it  is  the  insistent,  searching  word  of  Jesus  that 


p 


.  n 


46  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

every  man  is  responsible  for  his  neighbor,  no 
matter  how  he  may  feel  about  the  responsi- 
bility or  how  cleverly  he  may  shirk  it.  Surely 
it  is  high  time  to  awake  out  of  sleep.  At  the 
beginning  of  this  new  century  let  the  Church  of 
Christ  rise  and  free  her  skirts  from  the  blood 
of  the  world.  There  is  a  widespread  sense  of 
need.  Ministers  and  members  all  over  the 
world  are  being  driven  to  prayer.  There  is  a 
general  expectation  of  coming  revival.  Let  us 
bring  all  our  tithes  into  the  storehouse;  let  us 
attempt  great  things  for  God  and  expect  great 
things  from  Him,  and  see  if  He  will  not  open 
the  windows  of  heaven  and  pour  upon  the 
world  such  a  blessing  as  we  shall  hardly  be 
able  to  contain. 


I! 


If 


% 


Brinjc  yc  all  tlie  tithes  into  the  storehoii<^e,  that  there  may 
.«  i;ie,a  111  iniiii.  liouso.  and  j.n.ve  me  nuw  herewitli.  saith 
lie  l.onl  of  h<,sis,  if  I  will  not  oik-ii  v<.u  the  ..•indows  of 
lie.ucn.  and jK.ur  yon  out  a  blessing,  that  there  shall  not  be 
room  cnoujjh  to  receive  it.  Then  they  that  feared  the  Lord 
spak.^  often  one  to  another;  and  the  Lor<l  hearkened,  and 
tiearu  jt  and  a  hook  ot  remembrance  was  written  before 
him  for  them  that  feared  the  Lord,  and  that  thought  upon 
his  name.  1  hen  shall  ye  return,  and  di.seern  between  the 
righteous  and  the  wieked.  between  him  that  scn-etb  God 
and  Inm  that  ser\-eth  him  not.—J/,i/,tcAi. 

The  hand  of  the  Lord  was  upon  me.  and  carried  me  out 
in  the  spmt  of  the  Lord,  and  set  me  down  in  the  midst  of 
tlie  valley  which  was  full  of  ;bones.  and  caused  me  to  pass 
by  them  round  about;  and.  behold,  there  were  very  manv 
m  the  open  valley;  and,  lo.  they  were  veiv  dry      And  hi- 
said  unto  me.  Son    )f  man.  can  these  bones  live'    An<l  I 
ans%vered  ()  Lord  God.  thou  knowest.     A^idn  be  said  unt<. 
me.  I  rophesy  upon  these  bones,  and  sav  unto  them   O  ve 
dry  bones,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord.    Thus  saith  the  Lord 
(:rod  unto  these  bones;  Behold.  I  will  cause  breath  to  enter 
into  you.  and  ye  shall  live;  and  I  will  lay  sinews  upon  vou 
and  will  bring  up  tlesli  upon  you,  and  cover  you  with  skin' 
and  put  breath  in  you,  and    ye  shall    live;   and  ye  shall 
know  that  I  am  the  Lor.l.     So  I  proj.hesied  as  I  was  com- 
manded ;  and  as  I  prophesied,  there  was  a  noise,  and  behold 
a  shaking,  and  the  bones  came  together,  bone  to  his  bone 
And  when  I  Ireheld,  !o,  *he  sinews  of  the  flesh  came  up  urK.n 
them   and  the  skm  covered  them  above;  but  there  was  no 
breath  in  them.     Then  said  he  unto  me.  Prophesy  unto  the 
wind  prophesv  Son,  of  man.  and  say  to  the  wind  Thus  saith 
tUe  Lord  God;  Come  from  the  four  winds.  O  breath    and 
li:  eatlic  upon  tliese  slain,  that  they  may  live.    So  I  prophesied 
as  he  commanded  me.  and  the  breath  came  into  them   and 
they  lived  and  stood  up  ujwn  their  feet,  an  exceeding  jfreat 
army     Then  lie  said  unto  me.  Son  of  man,  these  l)ont^  are 
the  whole  house  of  Israel;  behold,  they  .sav.  Our  bones  are 
lined,  and  our  hope  is  lost;  we  are  cut  off  for  our  parts 
1  herefore  prophesy  and  say  unto  them.  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
God;  Behold,  O  my  people.  I  will  open  your  graves    and 
cause  you  to  come  up  out  of  your  graves,  and  bring  you  into 
the  land  of  Israel.     And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord 
when  I  have  opened  your  graves,  O  my  people,  and  brought 
you  up  out  of  your  graves,  and  shall  put  my  spirit  in  you 
and  ye  shall  live,  and  I  shall  place  you  in  your  own  land' 
then  shall  ye  know  that  I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it.  and  uer- 
fornied  it,  saith  the  LoTil.—Eze/t/e/. 

4i 


CHAPTER    III 


THE    REVIVAL    WK    NEED 

By  evangelism  is  meant  thai  branch  of  Chris- 
tian  work  which  has  to  do  with  the  conversion 
of  individuals.     In  the  ijreat  commission  this 
IS  put  first,  and  both  in  point  of  time  and  place 
it  must  be  first  in  the  modern  church.     Organ- 
ization, education  and  obser\-ance  of  Christian 
ordinances  are  necessary  and   essential;    but 
dead  men  cannot  be  trained  or  educated.  '  And 
the  New  Testament  word  is  that  apart  from 
Christ  men  are  dead  in  trespasses  and  in  sins. 
Consequently  the  first  and  highest  duty  of  all 
those  who  bear  His  name  is  to  bring  as  many 
as  possble  into  vital  relationship  with  Him. 
The  idea  is  that  of  an  army  in  actual  warfare. 
The  business  of  the  soldier  is  to  fight,  and  in 
his  campaigning  he  learns  the  technique  of  his 
calling. 

The  first  great  evangelistic  need  of  the  mod- 
ern church  is  seen  in  the  pulpit.  The  pulpit 
must  turn  away  from  secondaryism.  Culture 
is  always  good,    and    now-a-days    necessary. 

4'; 


1> 


i! 

i 


iS 


i. 


If  I 


50  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

Criticism  in  its  methods  and  results,  applied 
Christianity,  aesthcticism  all  have  their  place 
and  a  most  important  place.  But  it  is  not  the 
first  place.  In  a  striking  passage  the  mission 
of  our  Lord  is  described  by  Paul.  "It  is  a 
faithful  saying  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation 
that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save 
sinners."  He  Himself  declared  that  the  "Son 
of  Man  came  to  give  His  life  a  ransom  for 
many."  In  the  great  command,  love  to  God 
is  placed  before  love  to  man,  as  root  is  before 
fruit.  "Good  conduct  presupixjses.  good  char- 
acter." In  this  s'^nse  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  itself  is  secondary,  for  underneath  it 
and  implied  by  it  lie  certain  j^reat  elemental 
truths,  apart  from  which  it  has  no  meaning. 
It  presupposes  a  spiritual  world,  real,  present, 
to  which  all  men  are  vitally  related  and  by 
which  they  are  measured  here  and  hereafter. 
It  implies  an  atonement  as  a  perfect  fulfill* 
ment  of  its  high  behests.  It  implies  on  the 
part  of  those  who  submit  to  it,  a  nev/  spiritual 
birth,  for  it  is  the  law  of  a  higher  life,  and  man 
in  his  natural  state  obeys  a  lower  law.  What 
therefore  God  has  placed  first  His  ministers 
,  must  place  first.  What  Jesus  preached  to 
Nicodemus,  His  called  servants  must  preach  to 
all  without  respect  to  persons;   namely,  "ex- 


The  Revival  We  Need 


51 


cept  a  man  be  born  again  he  cannot  enter  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven. ' ' 

The  world  is  full  of  voices  and  echoes  calling 
loudly.     Shows  and  shadows  press  upon  our 
attention.     But  ministers  of  Christ  are  men  of 
vision,  seers,  sent  ones.     They  have  seen  the 
Lord;   have  heard  His  voice.     They  listen  to 
these  jangling  minor  voices  in  the  great  melody 
of  the  world,  and  they  know  the  relative  place 
and  value  of  each.     Back  of  these  the  preacher 
must  go;    back  to  the  eternal,  spiritual  facts. 
God,    holy   and   sinned    against.       Man,    lost, 
fallen    from    heaven    to   hell    by  sin.      Jesus 
Christ     the     Saviour,     delivered     for    man's 
oflfences,    raised    again    for    his    justification. 
The  Holy  Spirit.  God  incarnate  in  redeemed 
souls,  building  them  into  the  old-time  divine 
Image;  guiding  them  in  all  they  do;  teaching 
them  the  deep  mysteries  of  faith  and  fitting 
them   in   power  and  wisdom  for   their  high, 
unique  service  as  followers  of  Christ.      The 
preacher  must  know  these   facts   experimen- 
tally.    Let  him  be  brave  and  true  enough  to 
turn  away  from  secondary  calls  and  duties  and 
deal   with  these    elemental  forces   and   facts. 
Thus,  and  thus  only,  can  the  pulpit  of  to-day 
meet  the  evangelistic  need  of  its  time. 

In  all  this  I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as 


52  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


li 

ft 


it 


n 


i 


ignoring  or  desiring  the  preacher  to  ignore  the 
actual  intellectual  and  social  conditions  of 
modern  life.  There  is  a  sense  in  which  the 
Bible  contains  everything  for  the  preacher, 
that  may  be  found  in  all  other  books.  Here 
are  set  forth  the  eternities  out  of  which  and 
into  which  man  is  faring.  Here  is  displayed 
the  whole  tragedy  of  human  li  fe  in  its  various 
parts,  individual,  national,  ecclesiastical,  social. 
Here  is  life  and  its  philosophy.  Here  is  the 
highest  revelation  of  God  and  of  man.  Here 
are  moral  precept,  practice  and  sanction  in 
natural  and  truthful  juxtaposition.  The  great 
fruitful,  fertilizing  doctrines  of  the  Bible  ex- 
perimentally known  are  the  preacher's  only 
adeqiiate  equipment.  When  he  turns  from 
these  and  puts  any  other  thing  first,  however 
good  in  itself,  he  descends  at  once  from  the 
high  place  of  God's  Ambassador  to  the  level  of 
an  essayist,  lecturer  or  entertainer.  But  we 
must  know  something  of  our  target  as  well  as 
of  our  ammunition  and  weapon,  else  we  shoot 
into  the  air.  Human  nature  and  human  needs 
are  always  the  same.  God  is  always  the  same 
The  method  of  bringing  mans  need  and  God's 
supply  together  is  always  the  same.  But 
there  are  local  conditions  which  change  with 
time  and  place  that  either  help  or  hinder  the 


111 


I  ^     i 


The  Revival  We  Need 


53 


work.  These  we  must  know  and  take  into 
account  if  we  do  not  wish  to  needlessly  dis- 
count results. 

For  instance,  Mr.  Garvie  in  his  study  of  the 
Ritschlian  Theology  describes  the  great  out- 
standing characteristics  of  our  age  as  distrust 
of  philosophy,  confidence  in  science,  the  activity 
of  historical  criticism  and  the  prominence  of 
the  social  problem.  These  conditions  are  said 
to  explain  the  rise  of  this  particular  school  of 
theology  which  is  very  deeply  affecting  the 
modern  church.  Preaching  for  the  times  must 
therefore  be  wisely  adapted  to  the  times. 
Paul  made  one  kind  of  appeal  on  Mar's  Hill  to 
the  Greeks  and  another  at  Jerusalem  to  the 
Jews.  If  sociology  is  helping  religion  by 
proving  it  to  be  the  one  necessary  factor  in 
social  progress;  and  injuring  it  by  softening 
the  New  Testament  emphasis  upon  the  neces- 
sity for  individual  experience  of  the  new  birth, 
the  preacher  will  be  better  for  knowing  the 
facts  as  they  are.  If  science  is  determined 
upon  bringing  all  thought  and  experience  (in- 
cluding religion)  under  its  categories  of 
causality  and  the  principle  of  uniformity  in 
nature  we  must  be  prepared  to  show  why  we 
cannot  acquiesce.  If  the  Idealism  with  which 
the  name  of   Hegel    is    so    closely  identified 


\ 


54  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


i.5 


III 


tends,  as  it  is  claimed,  to  reduce  the  con- 
tribution of  Jesus  to  the  enunciation  of  a 
metaphysical  principle,  namely  the  essential 
unity  of  God  and  man,  and  of  an  ethical  rule, 
namely,  "dying  to  live";  we  need  to  recall  in 
the  presence  of  this  tendency  that  Christ  Jesus 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners;  to  seek 
and  to  save  the  lost;  to  give  Himself  a  ransom 
for  many;  that  He  was  delivered  for  our 
offences  and  raised  again  for  our  justification. 
If,  as  an  English  Unitarian  affirms,  the  sense 
of  sin  is  waning  to-day  because  of  the  wide- 
spread acceptance  of  the  theory  of  evolution 
through  which  sin  is  reduced  to  the  survival  in 
man  of  a  remnant  of  the  lower  animal  nature 
from  which  he  is  sprung ;  because  of  a  subtle 
pantheism  which  makes  human  nature  a  part 
of  the  essence  of  Deity  and  so  regards  sin  as 
mere  limitation  or  defect;  and  because  we 
moderns  are  beginning  to  regard  all  religious 
sanctions  as  due  to  superstition  and  to  neglect 
that  self-analysis  which  makes  us  conscious  of 
the  testimony  of  our  moral  natures ; — if  these 
are  truthful  statements  of  actual  forces  and 
tendencies  then  the  preacher  is  vastly  stronger 
for  knowing  them.  But  to  know  symptoms  of 
disease  is  not  necessarily  to  know  its  cure  and 
if    the    modern    preacher    is    only  equipped 


The  Revival  We  Need 


ss 


with  knowledge    such  as   this  he    is  in  the 
position   of  a   soldier   who   sees    the  enemy 
advancing   but  is  without    entrenchments  or 
ammunition  with  which  to  check  the  advance. 
It  is   the  disease  not  its  symptoms  that   we 
must   treat,  and  no  man  can  become  a  true 
doctor  of  souls  who  has  not  experienced  in  the 
deeps  of  his  own  being  that  the  "Blood  of 
Jesus  cleanses  from   all  sin."      A  moment's 
reflection  will  show  the  dire  folly  of  ministers 
attempting  to  compete  with  newspapers  and 
other  sensation  mongers.     The  sensory  organs 
of  the  public  are  already  jaded  beyond  re- 
sponse except  for  an  occasional  titillation  by 
.some  grotesque  performance  of  the  "yellow" 
press.     But  when  the  preacher,  according  to 
the  example  of  his  Master,  shifts  the  point  of 
attack  from  the  sensations  to  the  conscience 
and  deals  with  the  eternal  verities  and  sanctions 
rather  than  with  the  Heeting  small  talk  of  the 
hour,  then  he  will  be  met  with  a  vital  and  very 
wakeful  interest. 

The  second  great  evangelistic  need  is  seen  in 
the  pew.  If  the  pulpit  needs  to  fall  back  upon 
the  first  principles  of  its  divine  experience  and 
message,  much  more  the  pew.  With  a  Christ- 
less  Christianity  here  no  minister  can  convert 
a  soul.     Rather,  by  giving  the  lie  to  what  the 


If 


I: 


V 


' 


'H 


5^1  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Kvanfjelism 

preacher  says,  conversion  of  sinners  outside 
the  church  is  made  forever  impossible.     The 
spiritual    energies  of  the  modern  church  are 
paralyzed  and  neutralized  by  a  ijreat  and  plain 
contradiction  between  what  church  members 
say  and  do.     The  majority  are  conformed  to 
the  world  rather  than  transformed  in  life  and 
deed   by  the  renewing  of  their  mind.      The 
Christian  man  and  the  unbeliever  do  business 
side   by  side.      They  both   acknowledge    the 
same  heathen  selfish  standard  of  commercial 
morality.     The  only  difference  between  them 
is  that  '.he  Christian  lives  up  to  his  standard 
while    the    unbeliever    does    not.       Christian 
women  weary  themselves  to  follow  the  fash- 
ions of  a  Godless  world.     They  are  in  many 
cases  more  anxious  to  acquaint  their  children 
v/ith  the  inanities  and   imbecilities  of  polite 
society  than  to  teach  them  by  word  and  ex- 
ample and  pleading  prayer  to  know  the  only 
true  God  and  Jesus   Christ   whom   God  hath 
sent.     In  a  word  church  members  have  very 
largely  succumbed  to  ♦^heir  environment  and 
have  allowed  the  difference  between  them  and 
a  God-hating  world  to  become  one  simply  of 
degree  and  not  of  kind.     The  most  faithful 
and  eloquent  preacher  on  earth,  yea  an  angel 
from  heaven  could  not  bring  about  a  revival 


■J; 


The  Revival  We  Need 


57 


when  the  members  of  the  church  in  daily  deed 
and  word  prove  to  the  world  that  there  is  after 
ail  nothing  in  religion. 

A  most  subtle  and  chilling  change  in  our 
modern  religious  history  has  lain  in  the  silent 
transfer  of  emphasis  in  work  and  testimony 
.rom  the  individual  to  the  organization.  Men 
talk  as  if  the  church  were  a  strange  new  some- 
thing charged  with  doing  certain  duties  for- 
merly done  by  individuals.  As  though  the 
church  were  other  than  the  individuals  that 
comprise  its  membership?  The  fallacy  of  thus 
putting  an  imaginary  general  organism  in 
place  of  the  real  responsible  individual  is  pain- 
fully evident  in  the  meager  results  achieved. 
Systems  and  organizations  are  fast  going  to 
seed.  The  age  of  machinery  has  proven  itself 
a  failure  in  the  region  of  mind  and  spirit. 
Carlyle  called  attention  to  this  long  ago. 
"Has  any  man,  or  any  society  of  men,  a  truth 
to  speak,  a  piece  of  spiritual  work  to  do;  they 
can  nowise  proceed  at  once  and  with  the  mere 
natural  organs,  but  must  first  call  a  public 
meeting,  appoint  committees,  issue  prospec- 
tuses, eat  a  public  dinner;  in  a  word,  construct 
or  borrow  machinery  wherewith  to  speak  and  i 
do  it."  So  I  would  sa>  to  all  Christians  every- 
where, Don't  organize.     Live.     Christianity  is 


t 


I 


• 


H 


i'    t 


5S  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

a  Life  not  a  machine.     Believe,  therefore  in 
Life. 

There  in  no  more  pitiful  sight  than  that  of 
the  average  modern  church  wrestling  with  the 
problem  of  soul  winning.  The  few  faithful 
ones  feel  a  burden  upon  them.  They  urge 
and  organize  until  at  last  an''evanq:elist  is  en- 
gaged. Artificial  preparations  are  made  for 
his  coming.  Enthusiasm  and  expectation  aru 
manufactured  in  such  quantities  as  the  circum- 
stances allow.  All  the  force  pumps  familiar 
in  these  connections  are  set  to  work.  Then 
the  evangelist  comes  and  there  follow  a  few 
weeks  of  special  meetings,  attended  for  the 
most  part  by  the  same  old  few.  Here  and 
there,  as  a  result,  a  stray  conversion  is  re- 
ported, or  it  is  confided  to  the  press  that  "so 
many  signed  the  cards,"  a  proceeding  often  as 
misleading  as  it  is  meaningless.  Then  the 
brother  goes ;  the  momentary  interest  dies  and 
reacts,  and  the  church  settles  down  into  deeper 
worldliness,  inactivity  and  failure. 

What  is  the  New  Testament  evangelization? 
It  is  twofold.  Believers,  the  ordinary  every- 
day Christian,  of  the  time,  went  forth  as  indi- 
viduals. They  did  their  daily  task,  they 
traveled,  they  bought  and  sold  as  other  men 
But  wherever  they  went,  by  example,  by  word. 


II 


The  Revival  We  Need 


S9 


by  the  spirit  and  tenor  of  their  whole  liven  they 
kept  persistently  presenting  Christ  as  the  Sav- 
iour of  the  world.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
outstanding  leaders,  apostles,  evangelists  and 
others,  preached  to  any  and  every  kind  of  an 
assembly  before  which  they  could  obtain  a 
hearing.  There  is  no  record  of  artificial  inter- 
est, of  committees  and  buildings,  and  special 
choirs,  and  the  improved  machinery  that  ex- 
hausts in  its  running  the  spiritual  energy  of  the 
modern  church.  The  Christian  individual,  no 
matter  what  his  official  position,  took  the  task 
that  he  found  next  to  him  and  did  it  for  Jesus' 
sake.  By  this  means,  within  a  century  after 
the  death  of  Christ,  the  new  faith  had  won  it- 
self a  first  place  in  the  world. 

This  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  the  most  radical 
of  all  religious  methods.  Christian  gentle- 
men organizing  great  financial  undertakings 
and  incidentally  corrupting  governments,  brib- 
ing the  public,  over-riding  the  laws  of  the 
land;  such  believers  would  find  it  hard  in- 
deed to  lead  another  to  the  Saviour.  Their 
proper  method  is  to  hire  an  evangelist,  for  it  is 
very  evident  in  this  case  that  religion  is  religion 
and  business  is  business.  The  Christian  of 
low  estate  working  in  the  employ  of  another, 
giving  a  niggard  service,  selfish  and  untrust- 


3     * 


i 

i 

III 


^.. » 


60  The  Old  Evangel  and  Now  Evangelism 

worthy,  would  find  k  uillicult  to  speak  con- 
cerning higher  things  to  those  who  knew  his 
daily  life.  The  lady  of  place  and  culture  who 
has  surrendered  her  life  to  the  rule  of  inanity 
and  who  seeks  the  society  that  is  centered  in 
selfishness  and  foppery,  rather  than  in  the 
hea.  of  Jesus,  would  find  it  difficult  to  speak 
to  her  maid  or  to  her  friends  of  the  great 
realities  of  eternal  life.  And  the  maid,  waste- 
ful,  selfish,  careless,  would  give  a  poor  testi- 
mony among  those  of  her  household,  to  the 
power  of  the  Gospel  in  her  life. 

From  these  considerations  it  would  seem 
that  the  next  great  revival  will  be  a  revival 
/  within  the  church  itself.  It  will  consist  in  an 
improvement  in  quality,  rather  than  increase 
in  quantity  of  church  membership.  It  will 
turn  away  from  machinery  and  artificiality  and 
organization,  and  will  depend  upon  personality 
and  character.  It  will  deal  directly  as  between 
man  and  man.  It  will  be  a  thing  of  life;  of 
every-day  life  to  be  lived  as  the  hours  go,  sim- 
ply  and  honestly;  and  by  obeying  this  first 
spiritual  law  it  will  surely  bring  the  world 
nearer  to  God. 


The  End  of  Revival 


61 


fl 


1'- 


■    • 


V 
V 


in 


fl: 


■I 


i 


I 


fv,^    wilderness  and  the  solitar>-  place  shall  be  glad  for 

Sth  ii^f  ^^^  ''^'l"^  ';^^".  '^J'^''-"*'  ^°'J  '''o^^'"'  ^^'^  the  rose. 
•  n  ;:^  b  ossum  abundantly,  and  rejoice  even  with  joy  and 
sm^cng;  the  gory  of  Lebanon  shall  t*  given  unto  it  the 
excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon,  they  shall  see  the  glory 
of  the  Lord,  and  the  excellency  of  our  CJod.  Strengthen 
the  weak  hands,  and  confirm  the  feeble  knees  Sav  to 
them  that  are  of  a  fearful  heart,  be  strong,  fear  ni.t ;  behold 
your  God  will  come  with  vengeance,  even  God  with  a  re- 
1'^^^°^®^''?.^"  •■•°"^e  and  save  you.  Then  the  eyes  of 
the  blmd  shall  be  opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be 
unstopped.  Then  shall  the  lame  man  leap  as  an  hart,  and 
tne  tongue  of  the  dumb  sing;  for  in  the  wi!(!eme,s  shall 
waters  break  out,  and  streams  in  the  de-^ert.  And  the 
parched  p-ound  shall  become  a  pool,  an.l  the  thirsty  land 
spnngs  of  water;  in  the  habitation  of  dragons,  where  each 

ill\{'i!^L^  ^"""^i  "^'^^  '■'**^''  ^"''  '^^'"^'^-  And  a  highway 
shall  be  there,  and  a  way.  and  it  shall  l)e  calle.l  The  way  of 
holiness;  the  unclean  shall  not  jni-ss  over  it;  but  it  shall  be 

J^lWl  ^^.J'*""  '^''"  ^  "'"^'-  ""^  "">•  ravenous  beast 
shall  go  up  thereon,  jt  shall  not  l>e  found  there;  but  the 
redeemed  shall  walk  there;  and  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord 
snail  return  and  come  to  Zion  with  songs  and  everlastimr 
joy  upon  their  heads;  they  shall  obtain  joy  and  gladness  and 
sorrow  and  sighing  shall  flee  away. -AJ/a A 


CHAPTER  IV 


THE    END   or    REVIVAL 

Religious  revival  is  a  deepened  sense  of 
God.  What  in  detail  arc  some  of  the  results 
involved  in  this  experience?  It  will  be  neces- 
sary to  avoid  confounding  accidentals  and  non- 
essentials with  reality.  Education  is  the 
ability  to  determine  values.  And  he  who  is 
taught  of  the  Spirit  must  learn  first  of  all  to 
distinguish  between  what  is  real  and  per- 
manent and  what  is  local  and  secondary.  A 
movement  for  example  which  has  for  its  end 
mere  denominational  advancement,  cannot  be 
called  a  revival.  It  may  assist  in  advancing 
the  general  interests  of  religion,  but  in  itself 
considered  such  a  sectarian  struggle  is  not  of 
the  nature  of  a  religious  revival. 

A  deepened  sense  of  God  among  believers 
will  manifest  itself  first  of  all  in  their  experi- 
ence. It  is  the  curse  of  all  generations  that 
they  use  words  without  meaning.  Against 
this  sin  our  Lord  hurled  terrific  anathema; 
against   word-jugglers,    formalists,   Pharisees, 

63 


if 


1 


it?'' 

m 


t 


Y 


:■'■ ! 


■  • ! 


ii 
I 


ii.    J 
IP   J 


64  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

His  wrath  was  kindled.     And  in  these  days 
we  have  come  to  use  New  Testament  phrases 
glibly,  skimming  over  their  surface  as  a  bird 
skims  the  surface  of  the  sea.     Paul  speaks,  for 
example,  of  the  "Peace  of  God  which  passeth 
all  understanding,  and  which  shall  garrison  our 
minds  and  hearts  in  Christ  Jesus."     Yet  be- 
lievers still    sink  down  under  the  weight   of 
many  cares  and  sorrows.     They  lead  a  weary, 
threadbare  life.     They  have  not  in  their  ex- 
perience  anything   that   corresponds   to    such 
peace.     To  many  the  passage  has  no  meaning, 
although  they  read  and  recite  it  often.     We 
need  revival  in   order  to  bring  the  peace  of 
God,  which  passeth  understanding,  as  a  reality, 
actual,  potent,  into  the  lives  of  all  Christians. 
In  one  of  his  letters  the  Apostle  Peter  uses 
these  transcendent  words,  of  Jesus.     "Whom, 
not  having  seen,  ye  love;    in  whom,  though 
now  ye  see  Him  not,  yet  believing,  ye  rejoice 
with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. ' '    The 
most  superficial  observer  can  see  that  there  is 
little  or  no  experience  in  modem  Christianity 
that  corresponds  to  this.     Who  knows  a  Chris- 
tian man  or  minister  who  has  been  baptized 
into  the  mysteries  of  his  faith  so  completely  as 
to  rejoice  with  "joy  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory"?     Yet  this  to  the  Apostle  was  a  reality. 


The  End  of  Revival 


65 


These  are  the  commonplaces  of  Apostolic 
Christianity.  For  these  things  we  modern 
believers  have  substituted  machinery,  organi- 
zation, externalism,  noise,  vain  striving  and 
lifting  up.  Revival  must  have  as  its  end  the 
restoration  to  the  church  of  this  heritage, 
which  it  has  thrown  away.  Jesus  has  spoken 
unto  us  in  order  that  His  joy  might  remain  in 
us  and  that  our  joy  might  be  full. 

Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  lib- 
erty. "But  we,  with  open  face,  beholding  as 
in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are  changed 
into  the  same  image  fro:n  glory  unto  glory, 
even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  For  God 
hath  shined  into  our  hearts  to  give  the  light  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face 
of  Jesus  Christ."  "The  love  of  God  is  shed 
abroad  in  our  hearts. "  "We  are  called  out  of 
darkness  into  His  marvelous  light."  "The 
day  star  has  risen  in  our  hearts."  Are  these 
mere  words?  Have  they  any  meaning?  Have 
they  ever  had  any  meaning?  Have  Christian 
men  at  any  time  enjoyed  actual,  natural,  sane 
experiences  corresponding  with  these  words? 
If  so,  until  we  have  restored  these  realities  the 
Church  has  failed.  We  may  attain  numbers, 
intellectual  leadership,  social  prestige,  wealth, 
but  until  we  know  Jesus  and  the  power  of  His 


i 


i-i 


^4 


66  The  Old  ICvangel  and  New  Evangelism 

endless  life  and  the  fellowship  of  His  suffer- 
ings, and  are  made  conformable  unlo  that 
mystery  of  love  and  service.  His  death,  we 
must  remain  poor.  The  Church  has  long 
walked  on  the  edjje  of  this  great  ocean  of 
reality.  It  is  time  to  launch  out  into  the  deep. 
A  deepened  sense  of  God  must  result  in 
creating  great  changes  in  the  behavior  of  be- 
lievers. We  are  disciples,  learners.  What 
have  we  learned?  Apparently  we  have 
learned  only  the  A  B  C  of  the  gospel.  We 
are  still  babes,  needing  milk  rather  than  meat. 
We  languish  and  pine  like  sickly  children,  ever 
learning,  ever  studying  about  the  truth,  ever 
gazing  afar  off  wistfully  upon  these  experi- 
ences, which  we  have  failed  to  realize.  Per- 
haps we  have  not  learned  the  secret  of  the 
Christian  life.  Perhaps  we  have  not  learned 
that  the  Christian  is  called  to  be  a  doer  as  well 
as  a  hearer  of  the  Word.  It  may  be  we  have 
failed  to  see  that  service  is  the  cross,  is  Cal- 
vary; and  that  aGethsemaneof  preparation,  of 
experience,  must  for  the  Christian  always  pre- 
cede his  Calvary.  Believers  are  witnesses. 
Witnesses  to  what?  A  witness  is  useful  only 
in  so  far  as  he  knows.  He  is  not  permitted  to 
testify  upon  what  he  has  heard,  or  upon  what 
he  imagines,  or  guesses,  or  hopes.    What  he 


f 


The  End  of  Revival 


67 


has  seen  and  knows,  this  is  his  only  testimony 
of  any  power.     To  what  great  realities  does 
the  average  modern  Christian  testify?    A  man 
eager,    almost     frantic,    in    his    striving    for 
wealth;    the    frivolous,    shallow    member    of 
some  Christian  church,  intriguing  and  degrad- 
ing herself  for  the  sake  of  social  preferment 
among  worldlings;   to  what  do  these  testify? 
Church  "service,"  misnamed,  wherein  indolent 
believers  luxuriate  in  enjoyment  of  observing 
with  critical  eye  the  intellectual  gymnastics  of 
their  minister;  to  what  do  these  testify?    Cold 
and   formal  prayer  meetings,  sepulchral  and 
oppressive;  to  what  do  these  testify?     "Ye  are 
my   witnesses,"    saith    the    Lord.       Let    the 
Church  beware,  lest  she  prove  a  false  witness, 
lest  she  belie  and  deny  her  Lord.     "We  testify 
that  which  we  have  seen,  we  speak  that  which 
we  do  know." 

The  revival  of  religion,  which  already,  like 
the  silent  coming  of  dawn,  is  breaking  over 
the  modern  church,  will  bring  us  to  the  point. 
One  must  be  struck  with  the  evasiveness  of 
modern  preaching.  Not  the  evasiveness  of 
diplomacy,  of  tact,  but  a  certain  inability  to 
come  to  the  point.  A  shrinking  from  the 
fact,  which  amounts  almost  to  a  disbelief  in 
the   fact,   that  men  are  lost  and  that  Christ 


68  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

crucified  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to 
every  one  that  believeth.  The  average  Chris- 
tian will  seldom  address  an  unbeliever  directly 
on  the  matter  of  personal  salvation.  He  will 
invite  him  to  come  to  church  or  ask  him  if  he 
reads  his  Bible,  or  to  what  denomination  he 
belongs.  Anything  except  the  simple  ques- 
tion, "Wilt  thou  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  live?"  The  lost  are  advised  to  re- 
form; to  sign  the  pledge,  to  be  better,  to 
attend  Church.  They  are  told  that  persistence 
in  their  present  way  will  produce  disastrous 
results  of  a  quite  intangible  and  far-off  nature. 
They  need  to  be  brought  to  the  point.  The 
prophets  of  ancient  Israel,  the  preachers  of  the 
New  Testament,  our  Lord  Himself,  the  great 
voices  of  the  church  in  periods  of  revival 
throughout  all  the  centuries,  speak  with  direct- 
ness and  the  clearness  of  light.  "Let  the 
wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous 
man  his  thoughts,  and  let  him  return  unto  the 
Lord,  and  He  will  have  mercy  upon  him,  and 
to  our  God,  for  He  will  abundantly  pardon," 
"He  that  believeth  shall  be  saved.  He  that 
believeth  not  shall  be  damned.  There  is  no 
other  name  given  under  heaven  among  men 
whereby  we  must  be  saved  but  the  name  of 
Jesus." 


lis 


hi 


The  End  of  Revival 


69 


The  Christian  church  is  seeking  to  do  the 
business  of  eternity  without  eternal  power. 
We  have  been  trying  to  navigate  a  ship  of 
fourteen  feet  draught  in  twelve  feet  of  water. 
We  have  not  gotten  on,  and  have  compromi.sed 
by  throwing  over  our  cargo  to  lighten  the  ship. 
We  cannot  testify;  throw  it  overboard.  We 
cannot  pray,  we  are  too  busy;  throw  it  over- 
board. We  cannot  acquaint  ourselves  with  the 
Bible,  there  is  not  time;  throw  it  overboard. 
We  cannot  be  peculiar,  it  would  not  be  good 
form;  throw  it  overboard;  and  so  the  ship  has 
been  lightened  until  it  would  sail  in  froth. 
Indeed  that  is  the  only  medium  upon  which  it 
does  sail  in  many  cases.  We  have  deceived 
ourselves  as  to  the  nature  of  the  practical. 
Jesus  was  practical  but  His  method  and  instru- 
ment was  the  truth.  He  believed  in  Life. 
Paul  was  practical  but  he  based  his  practicality 
upon  the  eternal,  unmovable  foundations  of 
Truth.  We  weary  ourselves  about  methods 
and  machinery  and  forget  that  the  most  prac- 
tical thing  in  the  world  is  to  bring  a  soul  into 
contact  with  the  vast,  fertilizing,  vitalizing' 
truths  of  God  as  set  forth  in  a  crucified  Christ. 
We  have  allowed  the  "How"  to  displace  the 
"Why"  and  the  "What."  We  have  been  so 
careful  of  the  engine  that  we  have  allowed  the 


70  The  Old  Kvangel  and  New  Evangelism 


'■% . 


i^ 


fire  to  go  out.  The  first  thing  is  Life  and 
Life  comes  to  those  who  believe  that  apart 
from  Christ  they  are  dead  and  in  Him  may  be 
made  alive  again. 

The  facts  are  the  same  to-day  as  on  the  da> 
of  Pentecost.  Human  nature  is  the  same, 
human  need  is  the  same,  human  sin  is  the 
same.  God  is  the  same.  The  only  diflference  is 
that  on  that  day  there  fell  upon  the  waiting 
disciples,  in  response  to  their  faith,  supernat- 
ural power — the  spirit  of  God  which  brought  to 
their  remembrance  the  truth  and  made  their 
message  mighty,  because  their  experience  of 
eternal  things  was  real.  The  same  Spirit  at 
the  same  time  fell  upon  the  minds  and  hearts 
of  unbelieving  persons  and  convicted  them  of 
sin  and  of  righteousness  and  of  judgment.  By 
faith  men  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
unto  the  salvation  of  their  souls ;  by  faith  also, 
they  appropriate  to  themselves  that  divine 
power,  or  rather  person,  the  Holy  Spirit.  He 
comes  and  makes  His  perpetual  abode  with  us 
above  and  beyond  the  new  life  which  is  given 
in  response  to  our  initial  faith.  This  is  the 
peace,  the  joy,  the  certainty,  the  vision  which 
is  lacking.     This  we  must  have. 


{•*3  I 


1^ 


What  the  Church  Lacks 


71 


:.ff 

.1) 

'II 


And  when  the  ser\'ant  of  the  man  of  Gotl  was  risen  early 
and  gone  forth,  behold,  an  host  compatsed  the  city  both 
with  horses  and  chariots.  And  his  servant  said  unto  him. 
Alas,  my  m.-tster!  how  shall  we  do'  And  he  answered,  Fear 
not .  for  they  that  be  with  us  are  more  than  they  lliat  be 
with  them.  And  Klisha  prayed,  and  said,  Lor<l,  I  pray 
thee,  open  his  eyes,  that  he  may  see.  And  the  Lonl  oj^-ned 
the  eyes  of  the  younR  man.  and  he  saw;  and,  behold,  the 
mountain  was  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  round  about 
K\\shn—TAe  Kinxs. 

1  am  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  husbandman. 
Kvery  branch  in  me  that  bearelh  not  fruit  he  taketh  away; 
and  every  branch  that  bearelh  fruit,  he  purReth  it.  that  it 
may  bring  forth  more  fruit.  Now  ye  arc  clean  through  the 
word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you.  Abide  in  me,  and  I  in 
you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself,  except  it 
abide  in  the  vine;  no  more  can  ye,  except  ye  abide  in  me. 
I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches.  He  that  abideth  in  me, 
and  I  in  him.  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit;  for  with- 
out me  ye  can  do  nothing.— y>J«i. 

Therefore  let  no  man  glory  in  men.  For  alK  things  are 
yours;  Whether  Paul,  or  Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or  the  world, 
or  life,  or  death,  or  things  present,  or  things  to  come;  all 
are  yours;  and  ye  are  Christ's;  and  Christ  is  (iod's. 

But  what  things  were  gain  to  me,  those  I  counted  loss  for 
Christ.  Yea  doubtless,  and  I  count  all  thing.s  but  loss  for 
the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord; 
for  whom  I  have  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things,  and  do  count 
them  but  dung,  that  I  may  win  Christ,  and  be  found  in  him. 
not  having  mine  own  righteousness,  which  is  of  the  law,  but 
that  which  is  through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the  righteousness 
which  is  of  God  by  faith;  that  I  may  know  him,  and  the 

Gwer  of  his  resurrection,  and  the  fello%v8hip  of  his  sufferings, 
ing  made  conformable  unto  bis  death.— ■/'aw/. 


7a 


tit* 


1  .•«» 


CHAPTER   V 


WHAT    THF    CHURCH    LACKS 

What  is  it  that  the  church  lacks?  Not  num- 
bers, for,  after  all  allowances  are  made,  there 
is  no  doubt  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  our 
population  may  be  found  at  some  time  or  other 
within  the  churches.  Not  social  position,  for 
the  very  best  people,  usinjj  the  word  in  its 
^'ood  sense,  are  members  of  Christian  churches. 
Certainly  not  money,  for  the  leading  financiers 
of  the  world  are  prominent  members  of  Chris- 
tian churches.  Not  learning,  for  our  chief 
educational  institutions  are  more  or  less  under 
Christian  influences.  We  do  not  lack  the 
spirit  of  earnestness  and  sacrifice,  for  large 
numbers  of  good  and  true  men  and  women, 
day  by  day,  lavish  their  time  and  thought  and 
means  ii.  Christian  work.  Nor  do  we  lack  skill 
and  statesmanship,  for  in  the  church  may  be 
found  the  finest  and  strongest  leadership. 
What,  then,  do  we  lack?  We  lack  God.  The 
churches  are  filled  with  reverent  people  who 
observe  the  forms  of  worship  faithfully  and 

73 


74  The  Old  Evangel  ami  New  EvanRelism 


■  .1  5 


give  and  sing  and  bow  in  prayer  and  listen 
attentively  to  the  sermon,  but,  who,  for  the 
most  part,  go  to  their  homes  apparently  with- 
out the  hush  and  thought  of  God  upon  them. 
The  pulpit  is  interesting,  learned,  insf  ictive, 
even  impressive,  but  the  same  lack  seems  to  be 
there.  Women  retire  to  their  homes,  but  God 
is  not  there.  He  is  not  in  the  drawing-room ; 
He  is  not  in  the  boudoir;  He  is  not  in  the 
kitchen.  Occasionally,  when  death  or  calamity 
falls  upon  the  family,  God  seems  to  draw  nigh, 
but  too  often  as  an  ominous  avenging  Presence, 
rather  than  as  a  loving  Father.  Men  go  to 
business,  buy  and  sell,  bargain  and  struggle, 
but  God  is  not  there.  He  is  not  in  the  office ; 
He  is  not  in  the  counting-house;  He  is  not  in 
the  factory;  lie  is  not  upon  the  exchange. 
Men  go  to  their  studies,  but  God  is  not  there. 
They  investigate  and  measure  and  weigh,  and 
criticise  and  analyze,  and  they  find  everything 
but  God.  This  is  the  lack  of  the  world.  It  is 
certain  that  God  wishes  to  speak  to  men,  touch 
them,  give  them  His  own  life.  He  fills  the 
universe  with  Himself;  He  becomes  flesh  and 
dwells  among  us,  and  we  behold  His  glory  full 
of  grace  and  truth;  in  Him  we  live  and  move 
and  have  our  being;  yet  still  He  is  far  from  us. 
Can  this  lack  be  supplied?    Yes,  if  the  con- 


What  the  Church  Lacks 


75 


ditions  are  fulfilled.  Emerson  says  that  sooner 
o;  u'T  each  man  must  take  himself  for  better 
01  worse.  There  also  comes  a  time  when 
ea  .  nan  chooses  between  his  higher  and  his 
lower  self.  He  who  chooses  the  higher,  the 
spiritual,  and  is  willing  at  all  costs  to  "seek 
first  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven"  may  lose  the 
world,  but  he  will  find  his  own  self;  he  will 
find  God.  "Ye  shall  seek  Me  and  find  Me 
when  ye  search  for  Me  with  all  your  heart." 
To  seek  God  with  the  whole  heart  involves  a 
negative  process.  "They  that  are  after  the 
ficsh  do  mind  the  things  of  the  flesh.  To  be 
carnally  minded  is  death,  because  the  carnal 
mind  is  enmity  against  God,  for  it  is  not  sub- 
ject to  the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  b  ." 
"So  they  that  are  in  the  flesh  cannot  please 
God."  The  first  step,  then,  is  to  break  the 
bonds  of  the  flesh.  The  flesh  is  all  that  region 
of  our  life  from  which  God  is  excluded;  it  may 
be  our  refined  pleasures,  our  highest  intellec- 
tual pursuits,  as  well  as  the  lowest  passions. 
When  we  break  with  these  which  are  the  rul- 
ing power  in  our  lives,  we  are  seeking  God 
with  our  whole  heart.  The  Apostle  describes 
certain  who  have  "the  understanding  darkened, 
being  alienated  from  the  life  of  God  through 
the  ignorance  that  is  in  them,  because  of  the 


76  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


I 

i 


blindness  of  their  hearts.  '  The  second  step, 
therefore,  in  seeking  God  with  the  whole  heart 
is  an  escape  from  a  darkened  understanding. 
That  is,  we  must  reject  the  world's  standards 
of  mea.surement  and  values  and  adopt  eternal 
standards.  The  darkened  understanding 
places  things  in  a  false  perspective,  makes 
that  which  is  small  and  mean  and  temporal 
appear  large  and  divine  and  eternal,  and  re- 
fuses to  believe  that  the  things  which  are  seen 
are  temporal,  but  the  things  which  arc  unseen 
arc  eternal.  "Neither  yield  ye  your  members 
as  instruments  of  unrighteousness  unto  sin." 
Campbell  Morgan  in  his  recent  work  on  the 
Holy  Spirit,  ba.ses  an  argument  for  abandon- 
ment of  self  as  a  condition  of  spiritual  power 
upon  this  passage;  and,  doubtless,  herein  lies 
the  secret  of  finding  God.  We  must  deliber- 
ately turn  irom  yielding  our  powers  to  the 
control  of  self  and  sin,  abandoning  every  ambi- 
tion, our  own  wills,  our  own  desires,  and  like 
little  children  unquesiioningly  come  to  the  feet 
of  Him  who  said :  "If  any  man  will  come  after 
Me  let  him  deny  himself,  take  up  his  cross  and 
follow  Me." 

There  are  certain  positive  conditions  with- 
out which  no  man  can  seek  (lod  with  the  v;hole 
heart.      Nicodemus  came  to  Jesus  by  night. 


What  the  Church  Lacks 


n 


disturbed  in  mind  and  spirit.  He  sought  for 
solid  j^round  upon  which  to  rest,  and  Jesus 
told  him  that  "except  a  man  be  born  again,  he 
cannot  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God."  This  is 
Clod's  way  by  which  men  may  hnd  Him.  In- 
tellectual acuteness.  kindliness  of  disposition, 
philanthropy,  morals,  will  not  do.  These 
things  arc  real  and  ^'Ood  and  right,  but  except 
a  man  be  born  from  above,  except  the  new  life 
of  God  impL-mted  '.n  his  heart  in  response  to 
faith  gives  him  vision,  he  cannot  see;  gives 
him  hearing  he  cannot  hear;  gives  him  under- 
sandinj,%  he  cannot  enter  into  the  secret  of  the 
Most  High. 

As  the  new  birth  is  the  initial  step  in  seek- 
ing God  with  the  whole  heart,  so  receiving  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  the  continuous  condition  of  find- 
ing and  knowing  G>»d.  As  the  new  birth  is 
given  in  response  to  faith,  so  the  Spirit  of 
])owcr  and  wisdom  and  joy  and  peace  is  given 
in  response  to  a  humble,  persistent,  yearning 
faith.  "Be  filled  with  the  Spirit,"  is  a  com- 
mand to  every  l)elievcr.  To  deny  the  reason- 
ableness of  this  command  would  be  to  cut  out 
the  entire  New  Testament  history  from  the 
Day  of  Pentecost  «mward  and  to  throw  grave 
doubt  upon  the  promises  of  Jesus. 

This  i>  God's  worid,  and  He  is  in  His  world. 


78  The  01(J  Evangel  and  New  Kvangelism 


w  1 


He  as  anxidiis  and  willing  to  <,'ivr  Himself  into 
the  lives  of  nun  made  in  His  own  image. 
The  world  has  wearied  itself  in  the  getting  of 
knowledge.  Nations  hover  upon  the  edge  of 
war  in  their  struggle  to  seeure  trade  and  terri- 
tory. Political  parties  subject  themselves  to 
turmoil  and  eonfiict  and  even  worse,  to  obtain 
I)ower.  Devotees  of  pleasure  offer  up«)n  their 
chosen  altar  health  and  even  eharacter.  Bui 
these  all  pass  away.  They  arc  as  unstable  and 
ephemeral  as  the  breathing  of  the  winds.  God 
alone  abides.  He  is  the  only  eternal  posses- 
sion attainable  by  man.  He  is  the  only  object 
worthy  of  the  most  strenuous  seeking.  "Seek 
ye  the  Lord  while  He  may  l)e  found,  call  ye 
upon  Him  while  He  is  near.  Let  the  wicked 
forsake  his  way  and  the  unrighteous  man  his 
thoughts,  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord, 
and  He  will  have  mercy  ui)on  him,  and  to  our 
God,  for  He  will  abundantly  pardon."  Surely 
He  is  not  far  from  any  one  of  us  for  "in  Him 
we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being."  O 
Lord,  open  Thou  our  eyes  that  we  may  see. 


The  Separated  '^ife 


79 


I< 


I  I 
lill 

lit 
111 

nil : 

! 


18   r 


■J      5 


Except  a  n-.an  be  born  af;ain,  he  cannot  see  tl-,e  kingdom 
of  (JfMl.  Nic<xlcnnis  saith  unto  him,  How  can  a  man  Iw  Iwm 
whun  ho  is  old  >  lan  he  enter  thi-  soionfl  time  into  his  mother's 
womb  and  \>c  born'  Jestis  answered.  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
imto  thee.  Except  a  man  be  Iwrn  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit, 
he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  (lod.  That  which  is 
born  of  the  Hesh  is  flesh;  and  that  which  is  txirn  of  the 
Spirit  is  spirit.  .Marvel  not  that  1  s.ud  unto  thee,  ye  must 
J>e  »K>rn  aj^jain.  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth.  and  thou 
iiearrst  the  soimd  there. .f,  but  c.inst  not  tell  whence  it 
Cometh,  and  whitJier  it  gotth ;  s«.  is  every  one  that  is  lx>rn  of 
the  Spirit.  Nicodemus  answered  and  said  unto  him.  How 
can  these  things  be'  Jesus  answered  an.l  said  to  him.  Art 
thou  a  master  of  Israel,  and  knowest  nf)t  these  thinjfs'  Ver- 
ily, verily.  I  say  unto  thee.  We  speak  that  we  do  know,  and 
testify  that  we  have  seen,  and  ye  receive  not  our  witness. 
—/oAn. 

Ye  are  from  beneath;  I  am  from  above;  ye  are  of  this 
world ;  I  am  nf)t  of  this  world. 

Whosoever  therefore  shall  confess  me  before  men,  him 
will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
Hut  whosoever  shall  deny  me  f)etore  men,  him  will  I  also 
deny  before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Think  not  that 
I  am  come  to  send  jteace  on  earth  I  came  not  to  send 
peace,  but  a  sword.  !•  or  I  am  come  to  set  a  man  at  variance 
against  his  father,  and  the  daughter  against  her  mother, 
and  the  daughter-in-law  against  her  mother-in-law.  And  a 
man's  foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own  household.  He  that 
loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me; 
and  he  that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more  than  me  is  not 
worthy  of  nie.  And  he  that  taketh  not  his  cross,  and  fol- 
loweth  after  me.  i.s  not  worthy  of  me.— Jesus. 

If  ye  then  be  risen  with  Christ,  seek  those  things  which 
are  above,  where  Christ  silteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God. 
Set  your  affection  on  things  above,  not  on  things  on  the 
earth.  For  ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in 
God.  When  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  then  shall 
ye  also  appear  with  him  in  glory.— /Iik/ 


do 


CHAPTER    VI 


THE   SEPARATED    LirE 

As  the  accumulated  knowledge,  discoveries, 
inventions,  changes  and  hopes  of  the  century 
past  bear  in  upon  us  we  are  conscious  of  a 
changed  emphasis  in  life  and  of  a  new  view 
point.  But  in  whatever  way  these  may  min- 
ister to  the  higher  life,  we  must  come  back 
always  to  the  primal  fact :  They  who  believe 
are  of  the  Spirit,  not  of  the  flesh;  their  citizen- 
ship is  in  heaven,  not  in  earth.  "Ye,"  said 
Jesus  in  that  time  of  strenuous  opposition,  "Ye 
are  from  beneath,  I  am  from  above ;  ye  are  of 
this  world,  I  am  not  of  this  world."  Surely 
in  this  the  disciple  must  be  as  his  master. 

The  separated  life  is  not  asceticism ;  it  is  not 
a  matter  of  dress  and  attitude,  phrase  and 
form.  It  is  deeper.  Here  are  two  brothers, 
children  of  the  same  father,  bearing  the  same 
name,  wearing  similar  garb,  graduates  of  the 
same  school,  and  perhaps  in  the  same  business. 
In  all  these  externals  and  incidentals  they  are 
one.     But  one  of  them  is  a  follower  of  Jesus, 

Si 


82  The  Old  Hvangel  and  New  Evangelism 


I 


I'l' 


;f 


and  the  other  is  not.  They  stand  in  the  world 
side  by  side,  but  by  this  supreme  central  fact 
they  are  separated  as  far  as  the  east  is  from 
the  west,  and  unless  one  chan^'es  they  will 
remain  separated  forever.  In  the  deep  im- 
pulse of  their  lives  one  is  from  above,  and  the 
other  is  from  bene;ith.  I  wcnild  plead  with  the 
Christian  ciiurch  that  it  reco^niize  this  eternal 
distinction  now  between  believers  and  unbe- 
lievers; recoj^^nize  and  accej)t  it  in  all  that  such 
acceptance  involves. 

In  one  of  Paul's  letters  he  says:  "If  we  live 
by  the  Spirit,  by  the  Spirit  kl  us  also  walk." 
A  perfectly  sane  and  sober  statement  of  the 
principle  open  to  all,  that  a  deeper  life  must 
show  itself  in  a  hi;;her  living;;  a  richer  ex- 
perience in  a  nobkr  action.  To  live  by  the 
Spirit  is  to  be  born,  tau^^ht  and  used  by  the 
Spirit.  It  is  very  evident  that  any  type  of  life 
must  have  a  be^inninj^;  it  must  be  born. 
Jesus  says:  "Ye  must  be  born  ajjain."  "Ex- 
cept a  man  be  born  of  the  Spirit  he  cannot 
enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.'*  "I  am  come 
that  they  might  have  life  and  have  it  more 
abundantly."  To  be  born  again  is  simply  to 
receive  the  Spirit  of  (iod  into  one's  life,  and 
give  Him  the  place  hitherto  occupied  by  the 
spirit  of  self.     Jesus  Christ  was  God  and  man. 


The  Separated  Life 


83 


So  is  every  one  that   is  born  of   the  Spirit. 
This  is  the  essence  of  that  eternal  necessary 
distinction    between    the    Christian    and    the 
world.     It  is  a  difference  in  life;  a  difference 
in  kind  of  life.     The  boundary  between  the 
United  States  and  Canada  is  for  thousands  of 
miles  simply  an   imaginary  line.      Two  men 
may  occupy  farms  separated  only  by  this  line. 
But  vhile  in   daily  affairs    they  seem  to    be 
alike;  interested  in  the  same  problems,  doing 
the  same  work,  under  the  same  sky,  yet  there 
is  a  vital  difference  between  them.     They  are 
citizens    of    different    countries.      They   owe 
allegiance  to  different  governments;   they  live 
under  different  laws.      The  capital  of  one  is 
Washington,  of  the  other  Ottawa.     Politically 
they  have  a  different  center.     Much  deeper  the 
difference  between  the  Christian  and  the  unre- 
generate.     They  have  different  centers.     The 
one  is  a  child  of  this  present  evil  world  whose 
fashion  perisheth  and  which  lieth  in  the  evil 
one.     The  other  has  his  citizenship  in  heaven. 
They  live  under  different  laws;  they  acknowl- 
edge different  ideals;   they  are  moved  by  im- 
pulses  totally  unlike.     The  one  is  a  child  of  the 
first  Adam  in  whom  all  die.     The  other  is  a 
child  of  the  second  Adam  in  whom  all  shall  be 
made  alive. 


I 


M  > 


H4  The  Old  Kvangel  and  New  Evangelism 

If  a  life  is  l)orn  it  must  be  nourished.     Jesus 
says:     "I  am  the  l.read  of  life;   except  a  man 
cat  my  rtesh  and  drink  my  blood  he  cannot 
live."     The  character  of  Christ  is,  therefore, 
the  food  and  strenKth  of  the  Christian.     Bishop 
Urooks  used  to  illustrate  the  difference  between 
external  and  internal  strength  in  this  way:     To 
make  a  building  strong  we  buttress  it  from  the 
outside,  but   to  make  a  man  strong  we  feed 
him.     The  strength  of  what  is  made  lies  in  its 
construction;  the  strength  of  what  is  bom  lies 
in  the  quality  and  volume  of  its  life.      The 
work  of  the  Spirit  is  to  feed  the  new  life  b(.rn 
from  above.     My  meat,  said  Jcsus  is  to  do  the 
will  of  Him  that  sent  me.     The  strength  of  the 
Christian  therefore  is   the  strength  of    God. 
He  lives,  yet  not  he;  it  is  Christ  that  liveth  in 
him,     Jesus  has  overcome  the  world,  and  this 
is  the  victi.ry  that,  fur  the  Christian,  overcom- 
eth  the  world ;  even  his  faith.     The  life  he  now 
lives  he  lives,  like  Paul,  by  the  faith  of  the  Son 
of  God.     The  soul  that  feeds  upon  the  living 
Bread  is  made  strong  both  to  will  and  to  do 
the  will  of  God.     In   the  spiritual  as  in  the 
physical  we  eat  to  live  rather  than  live  to  eat. 
Could  anything  be  more  preposterous  than  the 
idea  that  a  Christian  is  doing  his  duty  when  he 
simply  attends  the  services  of  the  church  and 


i 
i 


The  Separated  Life 


«$ 


observes  private  devotions'     How  long  would 
a  farmer  keep  a  man  in  his  employ  who  at  the 
end  of  the  week  would  say.  "I  have  faithfully 
and  heartily  eaten  the  three  meals  provided  by 
you    every  day;     I   have    therefore  done  my 
work.     Now  I  pray  thee  give  me  my  wages." 
Vet  this  is  what,  in  effect,  a  large  proportion 
of   professing  Christians  are   saying  to   their 
Lord.     They  go  to  church,  when  it  is  not  too 
cold  or  warm,  or  wet  or  dry  or  they  are  nor  too 
tired  or  busy.     This  is  their  " service. "     Be- 
iwcen  meals  they  do  nothing  except  it  may  be 
to  offer  harsh  criticism  upon  the  spiritual  food 
served  them  l.y  the  preacher.     Is  it  any  won- 
der  with  such  a  foolish  conception  of  Christian 
life  and  duty  that  the    churches  are    full  of 
spiritual  dyspeptics,   chronic   grumblers,   lan- 
guid and  useless?     These  unfaithful  servants 
present  the  truth  of  God  to  the  world  as  a  lie. 
The  life  that  is  born  and  nourished  must  be 
taught,  for  the  Spirit  of  God  must  minister  to 
the  whole  man ;  and  we  have  the  promise  that 
the  Spirit  shall  take  the  things  of  Christ  and 
reveal  them  unto  believers.     He  will  bring  all 
those  things  to  our  remembrance  that  we  have 
learned  of  Him.     If  one  is  born  of  the  Spirit; 
the  end  of  it  all  must  be  that  he  shall  be  u.sed 
by  the  Spirit.     This  is  what  God  wants.     He 


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86  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


has  His  own  purpose  and  His  own  work.  He 
calls  us  each  one  to  be  workers  with  Him.  We 
are  to  surrender  our  will  and  purpose  and  plan 
to  His  will.  We  are  to  think  of  money,  fame, 
position  and  influence,  not  as  ours  but  His, 
given  to  us  as  the  instruments  of  labor  for  Him 
and  with  Him. 

This  wonderful  transaction,  then,  reduced  to 
its  simplest  terms,  means  that  when  God  comes 
into  a  man's  life  he  is  born  a  new  creature  in 
Christ  Jesus ;  that  his  body  and  spirit  are  daily 
nourished  by  the  Spirit  of  God;  that  his  mind 
and  conscience  are  taught  by  the  same  Spirit; 
and  that  his  will,  the  real  citadel  and  center  of 
personality,  is  surrendered  to  the  will  of  God. 
Clearly,  to  live  by  the  Spirit  is  to  be  unlike  the 
world  in  motive,  standard  and  object.  To  walk 
by  the  Spirit  is  simply  faith  working  by  love. 
If  we  live  we  must  work  and  walk  according  to 
the  laws  that  govern  our  lives. 

Life  will  produce  fruit.  We  read  of  the 
"works"  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  law.  These 
are  artificial,  dead  things;  they  perish.  The 
Spirit  is  life,  and  what  the  Spirit  produces  is 
fruit.  These  are  from  within,  the  outward 
expression  of  a  hidden  vital  reality.  The  fruit 
of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  longsuflfering, 
kindness,    goodness,    faithfulness,    meekness, 


The  Separated  Life 


87 


self-control.  Against  such  there  is  no  law,  for 
they  that  are  of  Christ  Jesus  have  crucified  the 
flesh  with  the  passions  and  the  lusts  thereof. 
Just  as  coals  lie  in  the  furnace  a  smouldering 
dead  mass  until  the  forced  draught  quickens 
them  into  white  heat,  so  the  life  of  man  lies 
meager,  cold,  powerless,  until  the  Spirit  of  God 
blows  upon  him  a  breath  out  of  eternity,  and 
he  burns  with  white  heat  of  life  and  power. 
''Behold  I  set  before  you  this  day  the  way  of 
life  and  the  way  of  death. ' '     Choose  ye. 


\ 


Pi 

ill 

If 

4'i 


I  J' 


Oh  that  I  knew  where  I  might  find  himi  that  I  mi^ht 
come  even  to  his  seat!  I  would  order  my  cause  before  him. 
and  fill  my  mouth  with  argruments.  I  would  know  the 
words  which  he  would  answer  me,  and  understand  what  he 
would  say  unto  tn^.—Job. 

Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you ,  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ; 
knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you:  For  everj-one  that 
asketh  receiveth ;  and  he  that  seeketh  findeth ;  and  to  him 
that  knocketh  it  shall  be  opened.  Or  what  man  is  there  of 
you,  whom  if  his  son  ask  bread,  will  he  give  him  a  stone  ?  Or 
if  he  ask  a  fish,  will  he  give  him  a  serpent?  If  ye  then,  being 
evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how 
much  more  shall  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  give  good 
things  to  them  that  ask  him? 

Again  I  say  unto  you.  That  if  two  of  you  shall  agree  f)n 
earth  as  touching  anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be 
done  for  them  of  my  rather  which  ia  in  heaven.— //j«i. 


90 


CHAPTER  VII 


PRAYER 

While  everybody  prays  few  really  believe  in 
prayer.  It  is  as  natural  for  men  to  speak  to 
(iod  as  it  is  for  them  to  speak  to  each  other, 
but  the  prayer  instinct  in  the  majority  of  cases 
remains  a  mere  instinct  and  is  not  lifted  up 
into  the  region  of  reason  and  made  the  intelli- 
gent utterance  of  the  whole  man.  Like  the 
fabled  lady  who  prayed  for  the  removal  of 
mountains  and  then  opened  her  eyes  expecting 
to  see  them  still  standing  in  the  old  place,  so 
Christians  use  words  without  meaning.  There 
is  a  prayer  that  is  answered  and  there  is  a 
prayer  that  is  not  answered.  The  determin- 
ing factor  is  faith.  The  prayer  of  faith  is  a 
chief  gauge  of  the  reality  of  religious  experi- 
ences. A  praying  man  is  a  strong  man,  and  a 
praying  church  is  an  aggressive,  strenuous, 
triumphant  church.  It  ought  to  be  as  natural 
and  inevitable  for  Christians  to  pray  as  it  is  for 
children  to  talk  with  their  parents.  Unless 
prayer  is  a  reality,  both  as  an  expression  of 

91 


92  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


n 


experience  on  the  part  of  the  believer  and  as  a 
moving  force  in  the  realm  of  God's  moral  gov- 
ernment, there  is  no  reality  in  spiritual  reli- 
gion. The  prayer  of  faith  is  the  prayer  that 
is  answered.  Such  prayer  has  a  f(Jundation  in 
experience  and  in  reason. 

"Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  what  things 
soever  ye  desire,  when  ye  pray,  believe  that  ye 
receive  them,  and  ye  shall  have  them." 

*'If  ye  abide  in  mc,  and  my  words  abide  in 
5rou,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be 
done  unto  you." 

"Likewise  the  Spirit  also  helpeth  our  in- 
firmities, for  we  know  not  what  we  should  pray 
for  as  we  ought,  but  the  Spirit  itself  makcth 
intercession  for  us  with  g^roanings  which  can- 
not be  uttered.  And  He  that  searcheth  the 
hearts  knoweth  what  is  the  mind  of  the 
Spirit,  because  He  maketh  intercession  for  the 
saints  according  to  the  will  of  God." 

"The  effectual  fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous 
man  availeth  much." 

"And  this  is  the  confidence  that  we  have  in 
Him,  that,  if  we  ask  anything  according  to 
His  will,  He  heareth  us.  And  if  we  know 
that  He  hear  us,  whatsoever  we  ask,  we  know 
that  we  have  the  petitions  that  we  desired  of 
Him." 


['  t 


Prayer 


93 


These  passages  all  imply  a  previous  spiritual 
experience  on  the  part  (jf  the  one  who  prays. 
God  does  not  hear  the  prayer  of  unbelief;  if 
indeed  it  can  be  said  that  there  is  a  prayer  of 
unbelief.  The  cry  of  the  wicked  brought  face 
to  face  with  eternity  is  a  cry  of  fear,  not  a 
prayer.  It  is  the  act  of  the  fetish  worshiper. 
At  the  Judgment  the  wicked  shall  pray  for  the 
rucks  and  mountains  to  hide  them,  but  there 
will  be  no  answer  to  such  a  cry.  The  history 
that  lies  back  of  the  prayer  of  faith,  and  with- 
out which  the  prayer  of  faith  is  impossible,  in- 
volves first  of  all  a  new  birth.  "Except  a  man 
be  born  of  the  Spirit  he  cannot  enter  the  King- 
dom of  God."  Except  a  man  be  born  again  he 
cannot  pray  the  prayer  of  faith.  The  child 
born  into  the  warm  love  of  his  father's  family 
asks,  in  perfect  trust,  for  what  he  needs  at  the 
hand  of  his  earthly  parent.  He  is  a  child. 
Hut  the  outsider,  a  declared  enemy  of  the  fam- 
ily and  especially  of  the  father,  cannot  ask  ex- 
pecting to  receive.     He  is  not  a  child. 

Here  is  a  good  man.  An  impostor  comes  to 
seek  for  help,  anu  the  good  man  refuses  the 
prayer  of  the  beggar  because  it  is  not  genuine. 
Another  outsider  comes;  he  is  in  genuine  need 
of  help,  and  their  common  brotherhood  com- 
pels  the  man   to   minister  somew^hat   to    his 


i 


? 


94  The  Old  i:variKel  anti  New  Evangelism 

needy  nci^'libor.  Hut  when  the  man's  own 
son  comes  and  asks,  ilien  blood  relaiionship 
gives  answer  in  fulness  <.f  love.  If  the  son  is 
bad,  he  cannot  obtain  much  from  his  father, 
because  he  has  violated  his  father's  will,  and 
denies  the  ri^^htncss  of  his  father's  life.  The 
Kood  son  asks  and  receives,  because  he  is  i)art 
of  the  good  father.  It  is,  indeed,  the  father 
asking  of  himself  and  giving  to  himself.  The 
outsider  receives  little  because  he  is  an  out- 
sider and  has  little  or  no  history  in  common 
with  the  father.  So  the  true  believer  receives 
what  he  asks  of  God,  because  he  is  a  true  child 
of  God. 

The  second  experience  without  which  the 
prayer  of  faith  is  impossible  consists  in  per- 
petual  surrender  to  the  law  and  will  of  God. 
"If  ye  abide  in  me  and  my  words  abide  in  you, 
ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will  and  it  shall  be  done 
unto  you."  "To  abide  in  Christ  is  to  obey 
Him."  "If  ye  keep  My  commandments  ye 
shall  abide  in  My  love;  even  as  I  have  kept  my 
Father's  commandments  and  abide  in  His 
love. "  The  faith  which  makes  prayer  effective 
must  have  acted  previously  in  the  life  of  the 
suppliant.  No  man  can  submit  himself  to  God 
unless  he  trusts  (iod.  He  who  submits  his 
case  to  a  lawyer  does  so  because  he  trusts  the 


Ml 


Prayer 


9S 


lawyer.  If  a  patient  does  not  trust  a  Jocior  ho 
will  not  seek  cure  at  his  hands.  If  a  student 
does  not  trust  the  teacher  he  will  ni>t  submit 
his  life  to  tlic  teacher's  leadership.  Unless  a 
woman  trusts  a  man  she  will  not  love  him  and 
},Mve  her  life  into  his  keeping  as  a  pledge  and 
expression  of  that  love.  So  submission  to  the 
will  of  God  rests  upon  faith.  If  a  man  there- 
fore, is  born  of  the  Spirit  he  submits  his  will 
perpetually  to  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit;  is, 
day  by  day,  taught  by  the  Spirit;  and  he  is 
enabled  to  offer  a  prayer  that  God  can  answer. 
Not  only  so,  but  he  is  assured  that  his  prayer 
will  be  reinforced  by  the  intercession  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  with  groanings  which  cannot  be 
uttered.  With  these  experiences,  not  only 
is  the  prayer  of  faith  possible,  but  it  would  be 
impossible  not  to  have  the  prayer  of  faith. 

The  prayer  that  is  answered  has  foundation 
also  in  reason.  If  a  boy  believes  that  twice  two 
arc  four  because  his  teacher  says  so,  that  is  not 
faith ;  that  is  credulity.  The  whole  boy  in  his 
experience,  his  intuition,  his  reason  does  not 
lie  back  of  that  conviction  that  two  and  two 
make  four.  A  Columbus,  studying  signs  of 
land  to  the  west,  comes  to  believe  from  what 
he  has  seen  and  heard  and  thought  and 
dreamed  that  there  is  land  to    he  west.     This 


9^3  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

is  faiih.  It  «jvcrleaps  the  wild  unknown 
seas  and  unites  the  evidence  that  the  man 
has  in  his  possession  with  the  land  that  he 
has  never  seen,  but  which  the  evidence  gives 
hint  of. 

True  faith  in  every  realm  is  based  upon  evi- 
dence. The  evidence  up  m  which  the  prayer 
of  faith  rests  is  given  by  Charles  G.  Finney  in 
this  wise:  We  may  have  a  promise,  general 
or  particular,  as  for  instance,  "If  ye,  being 
evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your 
children ;  how  much  more  shall  your  heavenly 
Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask 
Him?"  This  is  good  evidence  upon  which  to 
base  belief.  Supported  by  this  particular, 
definite  promise  the  believer  may  be  absolutely 
certain  of  receiving  the  Holy  Spirit  in  response 
to  his  prayer.  Or  we  may  have  a  prophecy. 
"And  it  shall  come  to  pass  afterwards,  that  I 
will  pour  out  my  spirit  upon  all  flesh ;  and  your 
sons  and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy,  your 
old  men  shall  dream  dreams:  your  young  men 
shall  see  visions:  And  also  upon  the  servants 
and  upon  the  handmaids  in  those  days  will  I 
pour  out  my  spirit."  "Bring  ye  all  the  tithes 
unto  the  storehouse,  that  there  may  be  meat  in 
mine  house,  and  prove  me  now  herewith,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  if  I  will  not  open  you  the 


I'rayer 


97 


windows  of  heaven,  and  pour  you  out  a  Ijless- 
in;,',  that  there  shall  not  be  room  enoURh  to 
receive   it."      This   is   evidence  upon   which, 
after   fulfilling  the  conditions  laid  down,   the 
church  may  expect  an  outpouring  of  the  Spirit 
of  God.      Or  we  may  have  certain  signs   of 
God's   providential   working   about    us.      For 
example,    at   the   present    time    over   all    the 
Christian   world   there  is  expectation  of  reli- 
gious revival.     It  seems  to  be  in  the  very  air. 
No  man  knows  whence  it  has  come  or  whither 
it  will  lead.      This  surely,   is  evidence  upon 
which  Christians  can  base  prayer  for  a  great 
revival  of  spiritual  religion.     And  if  we  refusr 
to  see  this  Presence;   if  we  are  faithless  and 
indifferent  when  God  is  calling  to  the  harvest 
need  we  wonder  or  complain  if  He  leaves  us  in 
anger   to   taste  the  bitterness  of  failure;    to 
starve  and  die  under  the  curse  of  a  formal 
fruitless  service?    Or  the  prayer  of  faith  may 
rest  upon  some  inner  prompting  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.     You  are  moved  to  pray  for  some  par- 
ticular friend.     You  cannot  shake  it  off;   the 
thought  haunts  you  day  by  day.     If  you  have 
fulfilled  the  spiritual  requirements  of  the  new 
birth  and  of  submission  to  the  will  of  God,  such 
a  feeling  is  proof  that  prayer  for  that  particular 
friend  will  surely  be  answered ;  and  to  neglect 


98  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


;4K  : 


to  pray  in  faith  would  amount  to  direct  denial 
of  God's  truthfulness. 

Few  people  really  pray,  because  few  people 
have  fulfilled  the  conditions  of  prayer.  God 
will  certainly  give  certain  things  in  response 
to  prayer.  He  feeds  the  ravens,  and  cannot 
His  children  who  love  Him  ask  for  food  at  His 
hands?  He  clothes  the  lilies  of  the  field,  and 
cannot  those  who  are  His  children  expect  that 
He  will  clothe  them;  and  clothe  them  not  in 
the  rude  garments  of  the  savage,  but  in  such  u 
\va}  as  refined,  civilized  beings  ought  to  be 
clothed.  We  need  shelter  and  cannot  we  ex- 
pect Him  who  tempers  the  wind  to  the  shorn 
lamb  to  grant  us  shelter  from  His  wild  storms? 
We  who  know  that  man  shall  not  live  by  bread 
alone,  can  we  not  ask  and  receive  that  food  for 
mind  and  spirit  which  is  the  very  word  of  God? 
Men  think  they  pray  as  the  Pharisee  thought 
he  prayed;  but  it  is  mere  words.  God  does 
not  hear  it;  and  if  He  does  hear  He  will  not 
answer.  It  is  His  will,  His  desire,  to  supply 
every  need  of  His  children,  created  and  re- 
created in  His  image.  These  things  He  will 
give  us  in  response  to  the  prayer  of  faith,  but 
we  cannot  ask  for  these  things  unless  we  know 
His  will.  We  cannot  know  His  will  unless  we 
submit  our  lives  to  its  control.     And  we  can- 


.1-   ■■ 


iiH  \ 


I-- 


!       ; 


l-.l 


Prayer 


99 


not  submit  our  lives  thus  unless  we  have  faith. 
When  Christians  fulfill  the  conditions  of  pre- 
vailing prayer,  their  supplications  will  sprinj; 
as  naturally  as  tlie  bird  sings,  and  the  answer 
will  come  as  surely  as  gravitation  draws  a  body 
to  the  earth. 


i* 


i'    I 


I* 


ir 

1 1 

if  f 

I  j. 

V  ' 


I 


\ , 


Is    i 


niviiiK  thanks  unto  the  Father,  which  hath  made  tis  meet 
to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  Hght;  who 
hath  delivered  us  from  the  power  of  (iarkness.  and  hath 
translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  his  (kMr  Son  ;  in  whom 
we  have  redemption,  through  his  b'.M.id,  evin  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins:  Who  is  tl;e  itnaj^eof  the  invisible  God.  the  first- 
born of  every  creature;  For  by  him  were  all  things  created, 
that  are  m  heaven,  and  that  are  in  e;!rth.  visible  and  invis- 
ible, whether  they  be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or  princip.ili- 
ties,  or  powers;  all  things  were  created  by  him.  and  for 
him;  and  he  is  before  all  thin,L,'s,  and  ])y  hini  all  thinj^s  con- 
sist. And  he  is  the  head  of  the  body.'  the  cluirch;  wh(<  is 
the  beginning',  the  firstborn  from  the  dead;  that  in  all 
things  he  might  have  the  pre-eminence.  For  it  ple.i-ed  the 
Father  that  in  him  sl.oiild  all  fulness  dwell ;  And.  having 
made  peace  through  the  bloo'l  of  his  cross,  by  him  to  recon- 
cile all  things  unto  liiniself ;  by  him,  I  say,  whether  they  be 
things  in  earth,  or  things  in  heaven.  And  you.  that  were 
sometime  alienated  and  enemies  in  your  mind  by  wicked 
works,  yet  now  hath  he  reccmciled  in  the  body  of  liis  flesh 
through  death,  to  present  you  ho"y  and  unb'laniable  and 
unrcproveable  in  his  sight.  —  /\iit/. 

Who  being  the  brightness  f>f  his  glory,  and  the  express 
image  of  1. is  person,  and  upholding  all  things  by  tho  word 
of  his  power,  when  he  had  by  himself  pi;rged  our  sins,  sat 
down  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high;  being  made 
so  much  better  than  the  angels,  as  he  hath  by  inheritance 
obtained  a  more  excellent  name  than  they.  — '/"//«'  Hebrews. 
In  the  beginning  was  the  Word  and  the  Word  was  with 
God,  and  the  Word  was  liod.  The  same  was  in  th"  begin- 
ning with  (1(k1.  All  things  were  made  by  him;  and  with- 
out him  was  not  anything  made  that  was'  made.  In  him 
was  life;  and  the  life  was  the  liglit  of  men.  And  the  light 
shinetli  in  darkness;  and  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not. 
That  was  the  true  Light,  wlr'ch  lighteth  every  man  that 
Cometh  into  the  world.  He  was  in  the  world,  and  the 
world  was  nii'de  by  him.  and  the  world  knew  him  not.  He 
came  unto  hi  a  own.  and  his  own  icceivcd  him  not.  But  as 
many  as  received  him.  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become 
the  sons  of  God.  even  to  them  tl;at  believe  on  his  name: 
Which  were  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh, 
nor  of  the  will  of  man.  but  of  God.  And  the  Word  was 
made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  iis.  {and  we  belield  his  glory, 
the  glory  as  of  the  only  begoiicn  of  the  Father,  i  full  of  grace 
and  truth.— /(^A«. 


I02 


lis   .» 


CHAPTER    VIII 


GOD  S 


WORD 


"God,  who  at  sundry  times  and  in  divers 
manners  s'^^'.e  in  the  time  past  ti)  the  Fathers 
by  the  projV  ots.  hath  in  these  last  days  spoken 
unto  us  by  His  Son."— Heb.  i :  1-2. 

**Hovv  shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect  so  j^reat 
salvation?" — Heb.  11:3. 

In  these  sonorous  and  majestic  words  tlie 
writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  opens  an 
argument  addressed  to  Christian  believers 
who,  overshadowed  on  the  one  hand  by  heathen 
materialism,  and,  on  the  other,  by  Jewish  cere- 
monialism, were  in  danger  of  falling  away  from 
the  true  faith.  Brushing  aside  all  secondary 
considerations,  he  goes  back  at  once  to  tliu 
primal  fact:  God  hath  spoken:  God  hath 
spoken  to  us.  There  comes  to  his  mind  the 
long  succession  of  chosen  ones  in  whom  and 
through  whom  the  Voice  had  been  heard. 
Abraham,  going  out,  not  knowing  whither,  but 
sure  of  the  goodness  of  the  guiding  Hand. 
Jacob  at  Bethel  making  the  wild  and  solitary 

103 


iv 


104  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


ifi' 


;  1 
.1- 


i  \ 


Hi 


wilderness  a  place  of  communion, — a  house  of 
God.  Moses,  the  royal  law-j^ver,  coming 
down  from  the  Mount  of  Law,  his  countenance 
glistening  with  the  transfiguring  glory  of  those 
days  of  face-to-face  intercourse  with  I)eity. 
David,  in  lyric  and  legislation  and  heart  ex- 
perience; Elijah  before  Ahab  and  on  Mount 
Carmel;  The  "rapt,  seraphic  Isaiah,"  with  his 
"burden"  of  the  Servant;  Jeremiah's  weeping 
protest  and  warning  against  the  sins  of  the 
nation.  Ezekiel's  mystic  vision  of  spiritual 
realities,  under  strange  material  forms  and 
symbols.  Daniel's  story  of  "One  like  unto  the 
Son  of  man."  Joel,  with  promise  of  future 
spiritual  blessing.  Malachi,  with  prophecy  of 
the  "Messenger"  who  should  appear  suddenly 
in  His  temple.  In  these  and  many  others,  in 
history  and  symbol,  in  liturgy  and  laws,  in 
forms  and  institutions,  in  song  and  sermon  and 
philosophy,  in  all  the  ten  thousand  voices  of  a 
nation's  experience  that  go  to  make  up  the  full 
harmony  of  its  growth,  God  was  speaking. 

It  is  a  high  thought,  this,  of  God's  progress- 
ive revelation  of  Himself  through  the  chang- 
ing centuries.  It  is  like  the  outcropping  of  the 
Laurentian  rock  across  our  broad  northland. 
Away  in  the  far  northwest,  where  frozen  rivers 
run  to  the  silent  sea;    beside  the  blue  "inland 


k  -I 


mi 


God's  "Word 


los 


ocean";  on  the  lonely  shores  of  Huron;  amidst 
the  primeval  beauties  of  the  Muskoka  wilds; 
by  the  Lower  St.  Lawrence,  where  at  evening 
the  purple  shadows  clc  '  ^  the  sentinel  hills  in 
the  garments  of  majesty;  out  where  Labrador 
lies  wrapped  in  the  fogs  and  chill  of  the  north 
Atlantic, — everywhere  the  same  ancient  rock 
with  its  story  of  unimaginable  mystery  and 
wonder.  So  in  times  past,  in  many  ways  and 
parts,  hath  God  spoken  through  the  prophets. 

In  these  last  days  He  hath  spoken  by  His 
Son.  As  the  human  embryo  is  a  condensed 
history  of  all  zoological  life,  so  Jesus  is  the  full 
expression  and  completion  of  all  the  words  of 
God  to  man.  And  what  does  He  say  by  the 
Son?  The  first  message  which  Jesus  brings 
from  above  is  that  God  is  Father.  On  Sinai 
we  learn  of  the  Lawgiver.  On  Calvary  of  the 
Father.  Say,  when  we  pray,  "Our  Father." 
"To  your  Father  and  My  Father  I  go,"  were 
the  words  of  the  Master  to  those  who  loved 
Him. 

He  hath  now  spoken  in  a  Son,  and  this  is  the 
word:  "I  love  the  world."  "For  God  so 
loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begot- 
ten Son  that  whosoever  believeth  on  Him 
should  not  perish  but  have  eternal  life." 
"God  is  love,"  is  the  new  message  to  a  world 


io6  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


full  often  taught  of  His  power  and  changeless 
justice,  a  message  spoken  so  clearly  and  simply 
that  all  may  understand.  *'I  am  Father  and  I 
love  the  world."  **Lo,  I  am  come  in  the  per- 
son of  the  Son  to  take  upon  Myself  the  world's 
guilt  and  shame  and  failure."  Henceforth 
there  is  hope,  for,  in  Jesus,  the  Father  is  in  the 
world,  reconciling  the  world  imto  Himself.  By 
and  in  Jesus  Christ  external  and  negative 
moral  legislation  is  internalized  and  made  pos- 
itive. He  transferred  emphasis  in  moral  truth 
from  enactment  and  deed  to  the  inner  law  of 
life  and  thought.  He  appears  in  history  as  the 
great  Unifier  gathering  into  eternal  harmony 
of  purpose  and  process  Creator  and  Creation. 
By  His  Life  and  Cross  He  brought  man  back 
to  his  source  in  the  spiritual  nature  of  God. 
In  Him,  by  Him  and  for  Him  were  all  things 
crerted  and  his  harmonizing  Power,  as  the 
Image  and  Word  of  God,  extends  from  the 
lowest  phyvsical  forms  to  the  highest  grades  in 
the  spirit  world. 

This  message  transcends  the  grammar  of 
intellectualism.  Dr.  James  Ward,  in  his 
Gifford  lectures  in  1894-96  on  "Naturalism  and 
Agnosticism,"  shows  how  modern  physical 
science  has  failed,  in  that  it  has  no  word  from 
God.     Sir  Isaac  Newton  concluded  his  "Prin- 


■.:      I 


God's  ••Word" 


107 


cipia"  with  a  general  scholium,  in  which  he 
maintains  that    the  present    diversity  of   the 
natural  order  could  have  arisen  only  from  the 
idea  and  will  of  One  who  is  God,  everywhere 
omnipotent,  absolutely  supreme.     A  hundred 
years   later   Laplace    wrote    his    '•Mecaniqiie 
Celeste,"    in    which   he   expressed    Newton's 
philosophy  in  terms  of  the  differential  calculus. 
When  he  presented  his  book  to  Napoleon  the 
latter  said:     "I  hear  you  have  not  mentioned 
the  Creator  in  your  book."     "Sire,"  was  the 
answer,  "I  had  no  need  of  such  a  hypothesis." 
If  imidst  the  silent  laws  of  nature  science  sees 
and  hears  naught  of  a  personal  God,  in  the 
great  loving,    universal    Divine   Man,    Christ 
Jesus,   there    breathes    a   full-toned   message 
from  heaven.     Pascal  was  wiser  than  his  coun- 
tryman,   when   he    said:      "The    heart    hath 
reasons  that  the  reason  knows  not  of."     And 
to  reason  and  heart,  to  conscience  and  will,  to 
the  whole  man  and  to  all  men  God  hath  spoken 
by  the    Son;     a    complete     message    beyond 
which,  or  rather,  beyond  whom,  there  is  noth- 
ing to  learn,  for  in  Christ  all  things  consist. 
Worthy  indeed  is  the  "Lamb  that  was  slain,  to 
receive   power   and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and 
strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing," 
yea,  and  obedience. 


't 


1 08  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


1. 


Iff 


I        f 


1  t 


It  would  seem  impossible  to  avoid  the  ques> 
tion:  How  shall  wc  escape  if  we  neglect  so 
great  salvation?  Great  in  its  source,  great  in 
its  means,  great  in  its  results.  This  solemn 
word  is  for  believers,  although  it  comes  with 
more  terrible  meaning  to  those  who  have  found 
in  the  Son  no  form  nor  comeliness,  nothing  to 
be  desired,  and  have  declared,  "We  will  not 
have  this  man  to  reign  over  us."  "So  great 
salvation" — what  is  it?  It  is,  first  of  all,  a 
supernatural  life  or  energy  implanted  in  be- 
lieving lives,  direct  from  heaven,  just  as  in  the 
first  creation  God  breathed  into  man's  nostrils 
the  breath  of  lives  and  man  became  a  living 
soul.  With  the  new  supernatural  life  is  given 
a  new  law  or  code  of  morals  by  which  it  is  to 
express  itself.  This  is  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  which  implies  a  regenerated  life,  be- 
fore it  can  be  practiced.  This  also  is  the  ex- 
ample of  Jesus  Himself  in  His  passion  and 
compassion.  And  the  new  life  and  new  law 
project  themselves  against  a  background  of 
human  experience  which  from  the  beginning 
re  yeals  their  reality  and  reasonableness. 

There  is  no  escape  for  those  who  reject  or 
neglect  this  great  salvation.  There  can  be  no 
escape.  How  can  a  man  learn  wisdom  if  his 
days  have  run  away  in  foolishness?    How  can 


l^i  i 


\i.l  * 


Hi! 


I! 


Gods  "Word" 


109 


there  be  a  harvest  if  spring  time  and  summer 
have  passed  without  sowing?  How  can  health 
be  found  by  those  who  have  squandered  their 
physical  resources  in  rioting?  If  men  cannot 
find  God  by  this  noonday  light,  how  can  they 
find  Him  by  the  flickering,  dying  flame  of  their 
own  imaginings?  Over  the  unknown  sea  must 
each  fare  alone.  How  can  one  escape  its 
engulfing  mystery  and  terror  unless  he  has 
learned  of  Him  who  alone  has  said:  **I  know 
whence  I  come  and  whither  I  go." 


^1 


i  . 


I.i|:l 


it ; 


■I* 


1' 


Saith  the  Lord  God.  Behold  all  souls  are  mine;  as  the 
sou  of  the  father,  so  also  the  soul  of  the  son  is  mine-  the 
soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  A\e.—Ezektti. 

Woe  unto  them  that  call  evil  good,  and  good  evil  that 
put  darkness  for  light,  and  light  for  darkness;  that  put 
bitter  for  sweet,  and  sweet  for  bitter!  Rise  up.  ye  women 
that  are  at  ease;  hear  my  voice,  ye  careless  daughters-  give 
ear  unto  my  speech.  Many  days  and  years  shall  ye  be 
troubled,  yc  careless  women;  for  tne  vintage  shall  fail  the 
gatheri.ig  shall  not  come.  Tremble,  ye  women  that  are  at 
ease;  be  troubled,  ye  careless  ones;  stnp  you.  and  make  you 
bare,  and  gird  sackcloth  upon  your  \o\n%.— is aiah. 

The  heathen  are  sunk  down  in  the  pit  that  they  made  •  in 
the  net  which  they  hid  is  their  own  foot  taken.  The  Lord 
IS  known  by  the  judgment  which  he  executeth ;  the  wicked 
IS  snared  m  the  work  of  his  own  bands.  The  wicked  shall 
be  turned  mto  hell,  and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God  For 
the  needy  shall  not  always  be  forgotten;  the  expectation  of 
the  poor  shall  not  perish  {orcver.— Psalms. 

For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begot- 
ten Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should  not  Densh 
but  have  everlasting  Mi^.—John. 


H^-  I 


ixa 


CHAPTER    IX 


HOW    GOD    LOOKS    UPON    THE    SINNER 

In  the  7th  Psalm,  nth  verse,  we  read,  "God 
is  angry  with  the  wicked  every  day."  The 
context  shows  that  the  insertion  by  the  trans- 
lators of  the  phrase,  "with  the  wicked,"  is  a 
fair  and  correct  rendering  of  the  meaning  of 
the  passage.  In  John  3:  36  the  evangelist 
says:  **He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath 
eternal  life,  but  he  that  believeth  not  the  Son 
shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abid- 
eth  on  him."  In  the  first  chapter  of  Romans, 
the  18th  verse,  Paul  says:  "The  wrath  of  God 
is  revealed  from  heaven  against  all  ungodliness 
and  unrighteousness  of  men  who  hold  the  truth 
in  unrighteousness."  If  these  words,  taken 
from  various  sections  of  the  Bible,  mean  any- 
thing, their  meaning  is  so  grave  that  they 
ought  to  receive  the  earnest  attention  of  every 
rational  being. 

The  Old  Testament  is  full  of  the  terrible 
truth  of  God's  anger  against  the  wicked.  It 
flashes  a  lurid,  bodeful  flame  over  every  page 

113 


^il 


1 14  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


k. 


of  Jewish  history.  It  is  written  in  the  wreck 
and  ruin  of  nations  and  cities  that  forgot  God. 
It  is  the  burden  of  the  Psalmist's  c:y;  "We 
are  consumed  by  Thine  anger,  and  by  Thy 
wrath  we  are  troubled."  It  is  the  message  of 
every  great  prophet  who  sought  to  lead  his 
people  to  a  higher  life.  One  typical  passage 
is  enough:  "Who  is  this  that  cometh  from 
Edom,  with  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah? 
This  that  is  glorious  in  his  apparel,  marching 
in  the  greatness  of  his  strength?  I  that  speak 
in  righteousness  mighty  to  save.  Wherefore 
.'irt  thou  red  in  thine  apparel  and  thy  garments 
like  him  that  treadt  ;h  m  the  winefat?  I  have 
trodden  the  winepress  alone ;  and  of  the  people 
there  was  none  with  me:  for  I  will  tread  them 
in  mine  anger,  and  trample  them  in  my  fury; 
and  their  blood  shall  be  sprinkled  upon  my 
garments,  and  I  will  stain  all  my  raiment. 
For  the  day  of  vengeance  is  in  mine  heart,  and 
the  year  of  my  redeemed  is  come.  And  I 
looked,  and  there  was  none  to  help;  and  I  won- 
dered that  there  was  none  to  uphold :  therefore 
mine  own  arm  brought  salvation  unto  me ;  and 
my  fury,  it  upheld  me.  And  I  will  tread  down 
the  people  in  mine  anger,  and  make  them 
drunk  in  my  fury,  and  I  will  bring  down  their 
strength  to  the  earth. ' ' 


I 


i 


.1 1 


How  God  Looks  Upon  the  Sinner     115 


Nor  must  any  imagine  that  this  is  a  dis- 
tinctively Old  Testament  truth.  It  is  as  com- 
mon in  the  New  Testament  as  in  the  Old. 
When  John  appeared  on  the  banks  of  the  Jor- 
dan preaching  the  gospel  of  the  New  Kingdom', 
his  question  to  the  Pharisees  was:  "Who 
warned  you  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come?" 
The  character  of  Jesus  was  not  devoid  of 
anger,  for  we  are  told  that,  "looking  around 
upon  the  Pharisees,  He  was  moved  with  anger 
at  the  hardness  of  their  hearts."  John,  the 
evangelist  of  love,  declares  that  "he  that  believ- 
eth  nc  .  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath 
of  G.  J  abideth  on  him."  The  writer  to  the 
Hebrews  believed  that  "it  is  a  fearful  thing  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God."  While 
space  will  not  permit  the  presentation  of  all,  it 
will  be  enough  to  quote  at  length  one  more 
typical  New  Testament  passage:  "And  I 
saw  heaven  opened,  and  behold  a  white  horse; 
and  he  that  sat  upon  him  was  called  Faithful 
and  True,  and  in  righteousness  be  doth  judge 
and  make  war.  His  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of 
fire,  and  on  his  head  were  many  crowns ;  and 
he  had  a  name  written,  that  no  man  knew,  but 
he  himself.  And  he  was  clothed  with  a  ves- 
ture dipped  in  blood :  and  his  name  is  called  the 
Word  of  God.     And  out  of  his  mouth  goeth 


(I  in: 


It 


n6  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


i 

■'    ! 


"!  i 


:|.ti 


i 


il 


a  sharp  swf)rcl,  that  with  it  he  should  smite  the 
nations:  and  he  shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of 
iron:  and  he  treadeth  the  winepress  of  the 
fierceness  and  wrath  of  Almighty  God.  And 
he  hath  on  his  vesture  and  on  his  thigh  a  name 
written  King  of  Kings,  and  Lord  of  Lords." 

The  first  question  we  must  ask  is  as  to  the 
nature  of  God's  anger.  The  New  Testament 
answers  our  question  thus:  God's  anger  is 
His  opposition  to  man's  disobedience  and  sin, 
manifesting  itself  in  punishment  of  the  sinner. 
It  is  not  anger  of  passion ;  it  is  not  selfish 
anger;  it  is  not  contrary  to  God's  character  of 
love,  else  it  would  involve  contradiction  in  the 
nature  of  God,  and  He  would,  therefore,  cease 
to  be  God.  It  is  a  necessity  of  His  being, 
because  He  is  j^ood  and  just.  Whatever  the 
nature  of  God's  anger,  it  is  a  terrible  thing  to 
be  feared.  Yes,  feared.  It  is  seriously  sug- 
gested in  these  days  t'.uit  an  appeal  to  fear  is 
irrational  and  unchristian,  but  the  man  who 
does  not  fear  the  righteous  anger  of  a  Holy 
God  is  a  fool.  There  is  a  rational  as  well  as  an 
irrational  fear.  Yonder  the  children  are  play- 
ing beside  the  sea.  The  tide  has  gone  out, 
and  the  children  have  followed  the  retreating 
waves.  But  llie  tide  will  not  stay  out;  and 
even  now  the  first  ripple  of  the  returning  flood 


IIuw  (i 


1  I  , 


Upon  the  Sinner     117 


breaks  at  their  feel.  Far  up  the  shore  along 
the  line  of  rocks  is  \\\-^\\  water  mark.  Shall 
the  children  stay  here  and  play;  here  on  the 
flats?  They  are  not  afn;id.  But,  wuether 
they  are  afraid  or  not,  the  tide  must  come  in, 
and  if,  when  the  tide  comes  in,  they  remain 
here  they  must  be  engulfed  and  destroyed.  Is 
it  not  perfectly  reasonable  for  children  who 
have  followed  the  tide  oiu  to  flee  before  the 
uplifted  flood  of  its  incoming?  And  is  it  not 
reasonable  for  those  who  have  by  wrongdoing 
set  themselves  against  the  changeless  forces 
of  God's  moral  government  to  fear  and  flee? 
This  world,  spiritual  as  well  as  physical,  is 
governed  by  laws,  and  the  reasonable  man  is 
one  who  knows,  fears  and  obeys  these  laws. 

We  may  ask  now,  What  is  the  cause  of  God's 
anger  against  the  wicked?  The  first  cause  is 
God  Himself.  Were  He  not  opposed  to  sin  He 
would  not  be  God.  While  He  takes  no  pleas- 
ure in  the  death  of  the  wicked.  He  takes  no 
pleasure  in  the  sin  that  caiiseth  death.  When 
Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon  it  became  instantly 
necessary  for  the  United  States  to  rally  its 
energies  and  to  assert  its  whole  authority  in 
order  to  preserve  its  existence  and  integrity. 
Had  it  failed  to  do  tliis  it  would  have  forfeited 
at  once  its  right  to  nationhood  and  ceased  to 


m 
if 


ii8  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

exist.  Whatever  may  be  said  as  to  the  nego- 
tiations preceding  the  war,  the  moment  the 
Boer  armies  were  flung  across  the  interna- 
tional line  into  British  territory,  the  whole 
empire,  led  by  the  central  organizing  power 
and  authority,  must  have  gathered  itself  for 
the  task  of  repelling  the  invading  armies  cr  it 
must  have  ceased  to  be  an  empire.  It  is  in  the 
nature  of  a  nation  to  defend  itself  against  de- 
struction from  without  and  from  within.  It  is 
in  the  nature  of  God  to  put  down  rebellion 
against  His  supreme  will,  whether  that  rebel- 
lion is  seen  among  the  spiritual  hosts  that 
people  the  invisible  universe  or  among  the 
sons  of  men. 

The  second  cause  of  God's  anger  is  the  sin- 
ner himself.  Here  is  a  machine,  vast,  compli- 
cated, gathering  about  one  ruling  idea  for  the 
performance  of  a  certain  work.  In  this  ma- 
chine a  single  wheel  is  broken.  Forthwith  the 
whole  machine  must  stop  and  that  broken 
wheel  be  taken  out.  The  wheel  is  broken; 
shall  its  ruin  spread  to  the  rest  of  the  parts  to 
which  it  belongs,  or  shall  it  be  taken  out  that 
they  may  be  saved?  A  man  absorbs  typhoid 
poison,  and  forthwith  his  whole  system  is 
fevered  with  the  struggle  of  nature  to  rid  her- 
self of    the    foreign  substance.      Unless  the 


a 


u 


How  God  Looks  Upon  the  Sinner     1 19 

subtle  poison  is  overcome  and  thrown  off  the 
man  must  die.     Here  is  a  criminal;   the  mo- 
ment he  becomes  such  he  opposes  himself  to 
the  organized  life,  law  and  well-being  of  the 
whole     community.       Because     his     hand    is 
against  every  man  it  is  the  duty  of  every  man 
to  be   against   him:    not  in   anger,  but  with 
the   calm,    judicial    conviction    expressed    by 
and    through    the    laws,    that    this    criminal 
is  a  menace  to  the   well-being  of  the  com- 
munity, and  must  therefore  be  regenerated  or 
exterminated.     So  with  the  wicked  under  the 
moral    government  of    God.      Because  he   is 
what  he  is,  he  is  opposed  to  that  moral  govern- 
ment which  has  for  its  end  the  highest  well 
being  of  the  human  race.     He  must  be  got  nd 
of,   therefore,   either    by  regeneration  or  de- 
struction, for  he  is  a  perpetual  offence  to  God, 
a  menace  to  man  and  a  curse  to  himself. 

That  the  anger  of  God  against  the  wicked  is 
perfectly  reasonable  and  just  is  seen  when  we 
consider  the  ruin  wrought  by  wickedness.  A 
man  has  entrusted  to  his  care  a  little  family. 
His  children  look  to  him  as  their  highest 
known  authority,  and  very  largely  what  he 
makes  them  they  will  become.  If  this  father, 
by  his  subtle  influence  leaves  his  children 
without  knowledge  of  God,  without  belief  in 


t 


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w 


$■     ! 


I'l 


1*1  • 


Mi-  i 


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i-^ 

I20  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

truth  and  righteousness,  without  right  equip- 
ment for  the  solemn  duties  of  their  after  life, 
ought  not  God  to  be  angry  with  him  for  his 
selfish  failure  and  for  the  ruin  which  it  has, 
produced?    A  young  man  endowed  with  force 
and  brilliancy  of  nature  and  intellect  finds  him- 
self  the  leader  of  a  group.     He  is  bad,  and  by 
example  and  i)recept  he  makes  them  worse. 
P'or  it  is  beyond  dispute  that  just  as  one  rotten 
apple  in  a  barrel  will  destroy  all  the  rest,  so 
one  bad  man  in  a  community  will  contaminate 
that  community  and  weaken   its   moral   tone 
from  center  to  circumference.     Ought  not  God 
to  be  angry  with  such  a  man?     Here  is  a  pro- 
fessing Christian,  a  member  of  a  prominent 
church.    By  his  selfishness,  his  sordid  material- 
ism, his  greed  and  cruelty,  he  becomes  a  stum- 
bling-block to  his  neighbors,  and  leads  them 
to  disbelieve  in  the  reality  of  Christ's  religion 
of  love.     One  such  man  will  work  more  ruin 
than  a  whole  church  can  counteract.     Is  it  not 
reasonable    that   God,   who   desires   the   well- 
being  of    that   church   and   that   community, 
should  be  angry  with  such  a  man?     The  nat- 
ural man  is  enmity  against  God.     This  alone 
is  reas-.n  enough  for  G.jd's  opposition  to  man, 
but  when   he  goes  forth   and   without   heed, 
without  care,  throughout  his  whole  life,  sows 


How  God  Looks  Upon  the  Sinner     I2i 

the  seeds  of  moral  death  and  degradation, 
surely  God  cannot  be  God  unless  the  hot  fires 
of  His  indijjnation  burn  a^'ainst  such  an 
one. 

That  the  angtr  oi  God  is  not  a  myth,  that  it 
has  had  real  effect  in  the  world,  can  be  seen 
by  a  glance  at  history.  The  spectacle  of  our 
first  parents  making  their  sad  way  out  from 
the  garden,  guarded  henceforth  by  the  flaming 
sword,  is  our  first  picture.  The  drowning  of  a 
world  completely  given  over  to  its  evil  lusts  is 
another  evidence  of  the  dire  results  of  the 
anger  of  God  against  the  wicked.  Even  the 
chosen  people  were  sent  into  exile  and  sifted 
like  wheat  over  the  world,  and  their  central 
city,  the  place  of  His  worship,  went  down  be- 
fore the  foreign  invader  and  was  sown  with 
salt  because  of  the  wrath  of  God.  They  had 
taken  their  Messiah,  and  with  wicked  hands 
had  crucified  Him,  and  this  was  God's  answer 
to  their  rejection  of  His  Son.  While  adversity 
and  sorrow  is  not  necessarily  a  mark  of  Divine 
wrath,  it  often  is  clearly  seen  to  be  such.  And 
j^ometimes  the  gaining  of  great  wealth  and 
position  becomes  a  means  of  punishment;  just 
as  a  child,  anxious  to  touch  the  flame  with  its 
finger,  is  at  last  allowed  to  do  so.  It  is  and 
always  has  been  true  that  the  wages  of  sin  is 


!  r 
I 


122  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


\i  i 


\r 


death,  whether  the  sin,  is  done  in  the  daylight 
or  in  the  dark. 

Every  one  must  have  remarked  the  waning 
sense  of  sin  so  characteristic  of  our  age.  If, 
after  all,  sin  is  not  so  sinful,  then  Jesus  ceases 
to  be  the  true  and  only  Saviour  and  He  re- 
treats at  once  into  the  unrealities  of  the  ideal. 
He  is  precious  only  in  proportion  as  He  saves 
from  sin.  He  was  delivered  for  our  offences 
and  raised  again  for  our  justification.  H  not, 
the  blood-writ  story  of  the  cross  descends  to 
the  level  of  a  mere  incident  in  the  history  of 
hate.  If  in  Adam  all  do  not  die  because  of  sin, 
then  in  Christ  all  cannot  and  need  not  be  made 
alive.  If  it  is  not  true  that  all  have  sinned  and 
must  appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ 
to  give  an  account  of  the  deeds  done  in  the 
body,  then  it  is  not  true  that  the  blood  of 
Jesus  cleanses  from  all  sin ;  and  there  is  no  right- 
eousness of  God  through  faith. 

The  corrective  for  this  waning  sense  of  sin  is 
to  approach  the  facts  of  life  from  eternity 
rather  than  from  time ;  to  look  at  the  human 
heart  from  God's  standpoint  and  measure  life 
by  His  standard.  This  is  the  essence  of 
prophecy.  "Thus  saith  the  Lord"  was  the 
prophetic  formula.  It  was  not  what  sinful 
men  thought  about  themselves  but  what  God 


A! 


How  God  Looks  Upon  the  Sinner     123 

thought  about  ihem.  Measuring  themselves 
by  themselves  and  comparing  themselves 
among  themselves,  men  are  now  as  they  were 
in  the  days  of  Paul,  not  wise.  To  become  wise 
unto  salvation  they  must  lay  their  lives  once 
more  against  the  law  of  God  and  learn,  from 
the  dreadful  discrepancy  which  such  a  course 
reveals,  that  God  cannot  look  upon  sin  with 
the  least  degree  of  allowance  but  f(  >r  every  sin 
there  is  reserved  a  just  retribution. 

While  God  is  angry  with  the  wicked  every 
day,  it  is  equally  true  that  He  loves  the  world. 
Not  with  the  love  of  complacency,  as  the  old 
theologians   have   it,    but    with    the    love    of 
benevolence;    just  as  a  patient  mother  loves, 
pities,  and  seeks  to  reclaim  a  wandering  child. 
Because  God  loves  the  world  He  sent  His  only 
begotten    Son,   that    whosoever    believeth   on 
Him  might  not  perish  under  His  wrath,  but 
might  have  eternal  life.     In  Christ,  God  is  in 
the  world  reconciling  the  world  unto  Himself. 
This  is  what  gives  Jesus  His  supremacy  in  the 
thought  of  man.     By  His  life  and  death  and 
resurrection    He  brings  a  way  of  escape  by 
which  the  wicked  may  avoid  destruction  under 
the  changeless   laws  of  God's  moral  govern- 
ment, and  by  means  of  the  new  birth  become 
new  men  in  Christ  Jesus.     No  rationalism,  no 


li 


124  The  Old  Kvanpcl  and  New  llvanpc  lisin 

scntimcntiilism,  no  spirit  of  unbelief  can  ever 
detract  from  the  majesty  and  beauty  of  this 
gospel.  There  is  no  other  name  },Mven  under 
heaven  among  men  whtreby  we  mu  .t  l)e  saved 
but  the  name  of  Jesus.  He  is  the  way  of 
fscapc.  He  is  the  truth  that  shall  make  men 
free,  and  His  is  the  life  that  shall  lift  them  up 
out  of  the  bottomless  deeps  of  death  and  ruin 
and  set  them  before  the  throne  of  God  in  His 
image,  children  and  heirs. 


I     . 


li!     1  1 


\\V 


[V 


I" 

f, 


■n 


ii> 


11 


He  that  beheveth  on  him  is  not  condemned:  but  he  tint 
be  leveth  not  is  condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not 
behevetl  in  the  name  of  the  onlv  begotten  Son  of  Go<l 

And  this  IS  the  condemnation,  that  li^'ht  is  come  int..  the 
world  and  men  love<l  darkness  rather  than  liL^ht.  because 
their  deeds  were  evil. 

Ho  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasiinL'  life  and 
he  that  beheveth  not  the  Son  shallnot  see  life,  but  the  wrath 
of  God  abideth  on  him. 

Of  sin,  because  they  believe  not  on  me  —/oAn 


i 


I'i";, 


f      ! 


tab 


l?w 


CHAPTER   X 


THE   SIN    OF    UNBELIEF 

It  is  here  stated  that  not  to  believe  on  Jesus 
is  a  sin  sufficient  to  condemn  a  soul  to  outer 
darkness.  At  first  thought  this  seems  un- 
reasonable and  therefore  unjust;  because  a 
man  cannot  believe  a  thing  at  will  any  more 
than  he  can  grow  at  will. 

The  Bible  definitions  of  sin  throw  some  light 
upon  our  problem.  "Whatsoever  is  not  of  faith 
is  sin."  Faith  is  trust  of  heart  and  belief  of 
mind.  The  former  complements  the  latter. 
Especially  in  cases  of  conflicting  evidence  the 
higher  spiritual  faculties  give  guidance.  It 
will  always  be  true  as  Pascal  so  wisely  says 
that  "The  heart  hath  reasons  that  the  reason 
knows  not  of. "  If  then  a  man  does  not  believe 
Jesus  he  denies  the  necessity  of  dependence 
upon  God  and  declares  himself  sufficient  unto 
himself  for  time  and  eternity.  "All  unright- 
eousness is  sin."  If  unbelief  is  unrighteous- 
ness or  disobedience  it  must  in  its  very  nature 
be  sin.     "The  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against 

127 


J 


*'( 


f  ,i 


.  1 ' 


% 


!l  I 


m 


'i   i 


i'S 


128  The  Old  I-2v:in^el  and  N\w  l^vangelism 

God,  for  it  is  iKt  subject  tf)  the  law  of  God 
neither  indeed  can  be."  "They  thai  are  in  the 
flesh  cannot  please  God."  I'rom  tliis  it  ap- 
pears that  unbelief  is  the  restiit  of  a  voluntary 
state  of  mind  towards  God  which  state  of  mind 
may  and  ou^rht  to  be  changed  by  an  act  of  will. 
"To  him  tliat  knoweth  to  do  j;ood  and  doetii  it 
not  to  him  it  is  sin."  If  to  believe  on  Jesus  is 
a  good  act  of  the  mind  it  ought  to  be  intuitively 
known  by  the  mind  as  good.  And  if  it  be  left 
undone  it  is  sin.  "Sin  is  transgression  of  the 
Law."  Is  unbelief  in  Jesus  transgression  of 
God's  law  of  love?  If  so  it  is  sin.  "This  is 
the  condemnation  that  light  is  come  into  the 
world  and  men  loved  darkness  ratlier  than 
light  because  their  deeds  were  evil."  Jesus  is 
the  light  that  lighteth  every  man  that  comelh 
into  the  world.  Can  it  be  that  unbelief  in 
Jesus  is  only  another  aspect  or  side  of  the  love 
of  sin?  Paul  speaks  of  those  who  are  "ever  learn- 
ing and  never  able  to  c  ne  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth. "  Can  it  be  that  belief  in  Jesus  brings 
men  to  the  Truth,  the  great  central  Reality  of 
the  universe  and  that  they  prefer  to  falter 
amid  the  darkness  of  speculation  and  sentiment 
rather  than  face  this  supreme  Actual?  "If  ye 
were  blind  ye  would  have  no  sin,  but  now  ye 
say  ye  see,  your  sin  remaineth."     What  is  un- 


1  •■ 
•il  ■ 


The  Sin  of   Unbelief 


129 


belief  but  to  claim  that  sight  is  sufficient  in  and 
unto  itself?  And  if  this  sight  is  merely  the 
blind  leadir  -  the  blind  into  the  ditch  is  it  not 
sin  to  rely  upon  so  manifest  a  falsehood? 

These  are  tentative  thoughts  and  their  force 
may  be  nullified  by  denying  the  authority  of 
the  scriptures  which  suggest  them.  But  there 
are  other  considerations  open  to  the  sight  of 
every  man  from  which  there  is  no  sucli  escape 
since  they  rest  upon  common  experience  rather 
than  authority. 

Unbelief  in  Jesus  is  sin  because  it  is  a  denial 
of  universal  Truth.  For  one  not  to  believe  in 
this  or  that  political  party  is  no  sin.  The  dis- 
tinguishing principles  of  these  parties  are 
mainly  unmoral  abstractions,  opinions  as  to 
the  best  method  of  raising  revenue  and  doing 
certain  necessary  things  in  government.  There 
is  no  moral  quality  in  the  act  of  holding  or 
neglecting  such  opinions  as  to  policies  and 
methods.  But  it  is  a  sin  for  one  not  to  believe 
in  patriotism,  and  national  honor,  and  good 
government,  and  good  citizenship.  These  are 
universal  Trutii'.  and  to  deny  them  is  to  deny 
one's  very  moral  being  and  duty.  It  is  not  a 
sin  to  disbelieve  in  the  value  and  beauty  of  th2 
old  colonial  type  of  architecture  for  dwellings. 
But  it  is  sin  to  disbelieve  in  love  and  home  and 


»  •'!. 


si  • 


it 


r 


n 


s; 


ft; 


^•4 


Ji;. 


130  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Kvangelism 

pu'^e  womanhood,  virtuous  manhood  and  inno- 
cent childhood;  for  this  is  a  blow  at  those  Un 
versal  truths  and   duties  which   make  hum; 
society  and  prog^ress  possible.     It  is  not  wronjj 
to  disbelieve  in  the  Episcopacy  (  r  Presbytery 
or  Congregationalism  because  these  are  mat- 
ters of  external  polity  and   private   opinion. 
But  to  disbelieve  in  faith,  in  God,  in  goodness, 
is  wrong  because  this  is  tn  deny  the  central 
Realities  of  existence  and  reduce  life  to  a  con- 
fusion and  delirium.     So  unbelief  in  Jesus  is 
sin  because  it  denies  the  claims  of  brotherhood 
and  service.    "I  am  the  Truth"  is  His  descrip- 
tion of    Himself.     Nut  a  truth  or  sowe  truth 
but  i/if  Truth.     He  is  the  sum  of  humanity  in 
its  duty,  privilege  and  glory.     He  is  the  Son 
of  man.     He  is  the  Son  of  God.     In  Him  meet 
the  human  and  divine.     He  is  what  men  aspire 
to  be.     In   His  life  thought  and  act  are  one. 
He  shows  that  Truth  is  alive;    that  logic  and 
the  multiplication  table  and  majorities  are  not 
the  Truth  but  that  the  Truth  is  a  whole,  per- 
fect, loving,  serving,   seeing,  person:il  human- 
ity.     To  disbelieve    in  Jesus  is   therefore   to 
deny  the  reality  of  those  universal  elemental 
Truths  which  foundation  and  give  meaning  to 
all  human  life. 

Unbelief  in  Jesus  is  sin  because  it  is  a  denial 


'■m\' 


The  Sin  of   Unbelief 


I.U 


oi  tlie  Supremacy  of  Love.  As  God  is  love  so 
our  Lord's  life  and  death  were  tlic  incarnation 
of  divine  and  human  love.  Never  man  loved 
as  this  Man  who  laid  down  Ilis  life  for  His 
enemies.  While  we  were  yet  sinners  Christ 
died  for  the  ungodly.  A  good  mother  out  of 
her  poverty  plans  and  strives  to  give  her  child 
a  gift  at  Christmas.  Her  tears  fall  upon  the 
work  as  she  thinks  of  him  and  how  much  better 
she  would  like  the  gift  to  be.  At  last  the 
happy  hour  arrives  and  with  beaming  face  she 
offers  to  her  child  this  humble  gift  coined  out 
of  the  precious  gold  of  lier  mother  love.  And 
he  refuses  it;  scorns  it,  despises  it.  What  will 
the  mother  think  now?  To  what  deeps  of 
anguish  will  she  not  sink?  Has  her  son  not 
pierced  her  heart  with  the  cruel  shaft  of  his 
ingratitude?  And  what  will  the  world  say? 
Does  not  every  true  human  sentiment  leap  up 
in  stern  protest  against  this  brutish  son?  He 
has  despised  love.  This  is  his  impardonable 
sin.  Everything  else  can  be  forgiven  him ;  but 
this?  Never.  Is  it  not  so  with  imbelief  of 
Jesus'  How  can  God  forgive  a  sin  so  deadly? 
"Away  with  Him."  "We  will  not  have  this 
man  to  reign  over  us."  "Crucify  Him, 
Crucify  Him." 

What   sunshine    is    to    nature.    Love    is    to 


m 


'' .     n 


;    I 


132  The  Oid  ICvaii^cl  iiud  N^.w  Kv.iiigclistn 


I 


y;. 


*,-< 


* 


society.  It  is  iiuV-cd  tlie  "-roattst  tiling  in 
the  worlil."  Ii  !:nils  Tn;.nkiii<l  loj;clI-.cr;  niclt< 
the  icy  thraldom  c.f  sflfi'^lmc^s;  makes  it  pos- 
sible for  society  to  exist.  God  is  Love  and  t!ie 
God-like  man  is  the  loving'  man.  Jesus  Clirist 
is  the  epitome  of  all  love,  divine  and  human. 
He  is  Love  incarnate.  To  this  do  His  words, 
Ilis  deeds,  Ilis  wounds,  bear  witness.  IIow 
then  can  unh.elicf  rudely  reject  Him  without 
mortal  sin?  Misfortune,  disease,  or  wicked- 
ness are  i)resup])<>sed  when  a  man  is  sliut  av.-ay 
from  the  sunlij,d;t.  He  is  by  nature  a  creature 
of  the  lij,ht  and  to  live  in  darlnicss  is  for  him 
xinnatural.  So  the  human  heart  is  made  for 
love  and  the  love  hunj:^cr  is  never  satisfied  ex- 
cept by  love.  A  loveless  life  is  an  inhuman 
life.  Fer  men  therefore  to  reject  Jesus  is  to 
deny  their  own  essential  humanity  and  deliber- 
ately cheese  an  unnatural  and  irrational  exist- 
ence without  love  and  without  lii,dit. 

Unbelief  is  sin  because  it  is  a  denial  of  the 
reality  of  spirit.  The  whole  message  of  Jesus 
rests  upon  the  reality  of  man's  spiritual  being. 
"God  is  spirit  and  they  that  worship  Him  must 
worship  inspirit  and  in  truth."  By  the  new 
birth  it  is  possible  for  ma:i  to  actually  become 
one  with  God.  The  crowning  glory  of  Chris- 
tianity is  its  spirituality.     It  is  true  that  men 


The  Sin  of  riibcli.  f 


'33 


may  have  certain  of  tlic  spiritual  about  them 
and  yet  deny  Jesus.     They  may  be  j^eneruus, 
civil,  moral.     This  indeed  they  ought  all  and 
always  to  be  but  tlieir  sin  arises  in  their  prac- 
tical denial  of  God  revealed  in  Christ  as  source 
and  support  of  this  life.      Here  is  a  child  of  a 
fTood  family  who  -,ols  out  to  make  his  way  in 
the  wcrld.     He  seeks  bad  company,  sinks  to 
the  level  of  tlie  sot,  dis-;raccs  his  father.     Now 
wherein  is  the  bitterness,  the  exceeding-  sinful- 
ness of  his  sin?     He  has  sinned  aj,Minst  himself, 
against  his  companions;  and  this  is  bad.     But 
his  deep  guilt  lies  in  the  fact  that  he  has  held 
his   family   in   light   esteem    and   offered    his 
father's  fair  name  and  fame  upon  the  altar  of 
his  evil  lusts.     So  to  disbelieve  in  Jesus  is  to 
insult  man's  origin  as  spirit  in  the  Spirit  of 
God  and  to  defame  these  high  eternal  qualities 
which  distinguish  the  human  from  the  brute. 
To  deny  Jesus  is  to  deny  the  ideal  and  this  is 
sin.      And  sin  because  it   involves   denial  of 
human    progress  and  endorsement  of    wrong 
and  failure  as  eternal  and  necessary.     Jesus  is 
the  ideal  man.     In  Him  we  see  what  man  may 
be  and  become;    what  is  the  real  -  lan.     He 
tells  us  how  the  ideul  may  become  actual  in 
believers'    lives.       He    calls    from    the   clouds 
those  far  away  dreams  of  human  perfection 


JJ 


t      ( 


I 


Nir 


134  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

which  in  all  ajj^es  have  haunted  the  noblest 
minds  and  clothes  t'.iem  with  flesh  and  bloud. 
lie  honors  tlie  higher  aspirations  and  discon- 
tents of  human  nature  and  ofTers  oneness  with 
God  as  the  human  goal.  Is  it  not  plain  that 
to  reject  this  is  to  prove  a  traitor  to  the  ideal; 
to  fall  into  hopeless  pessimism;  to  surrender 
to  the  grim  thraldom  of  the  earthly  and 
Actual? 

Have  we  not  here  a  rallying  point  for  mod- 
ern preaching?  Do  we  not  need  to  hear  the 
note  of  authority  in  our  teachers  calling  us  to 
conform  to  Jesus  Christ  as  an  historical  Fact 
and  as  an  inner  present  Experience  and  to 
decide  for  or  against  Him?  This  is  the  central 
decision  and  duty.  All  else  will  come  if  this 
be  settled.  The  world  like  the  woman  at  the 
well  seeks  to  evade  the  issue  by  hiding  behind 
secondaries.  "Ye  say  that  Jerusalem  is  the 
place  to  worship  but  we  say  in  this  mountain 
is  the  place;  evidently  sir  there  is  contradiction 
here;  and  therefore" — "Verily,"  saith  tiie 
Lord,  "neither  here  nor  there  is  essential,  f  r 
God  is  Spirit  and  they  that  worship  Him  must 
worship  Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  So  let 
us  come  to  the  point.  "What  think  ye  of 
Christ?"  Other  ground  is  debatable.  This 
and  that  are  expediences  and  may  be  ar^^ued 


The  Sin  of  Unbelief 


135 


pro  and  con.  But  why  do  ye  not  believe  in 
Jesus  Christ?  This  is  the  question  the  answer 
of  which  answers  all  other  questions,  the  re- 
fusal of  which  is  the  sum  of  all  sins. 


I, 
'  I 


I 


n 


fit. 


fir! 

ti- 


ll: 
r 


A  Christian  Conversion 


»37 


I  I  t 


M 


*^^ 


y 


K 


w 


If  ••'* 


Why  iboukl  it  be  thought  a  thliifj  incrflihle  with  you. 
that  <'fO<l  shoultl  raise  the  dt-ad?  I  verily  tlmuxlit  with  my- 
self,  that  I  ouj'ht  f'>  <!<>  many  things  contrary  to  the  name 
of  Jt->itsof  Na/.art'tli.  Whitli  tliinK*  I  alsodKl  in  JiTusalein  . 
and  many  <it  the  Kaints  did  I  shut  up  in  prison.  l;avin|{ 
rccxived  authority  from  the  chief  priests ,  and  when  they 
were  put  to  death,  I  gave  my  voice  against  them  And  I 
l>unished  them  oft  in  every  synagoKue,  and  coiiij>elIe(i  them 
to  blusphtnif .  and  heitijj  excetiliu^ly  mad  against  them,  I 
persecuti'd  them  even  unto  strange  cities.  \\  hereupon  ius  I 
went  to  Damascus  with  authority  and  tommission  from  the 
chief  piiests,  at  tnidday.  C>  king,  I  saw  in  the  way  a  light 
from  heaven,  al>ove  the  hri^htness  of  the  si:n.  vhinine 
round  alKiut  me  and  thetn  whii  h  journeyed  with  me  And 
when  we  were  all  fallen  to  the  eaith,  I  lu-anl  a  voice  speak- 
ing unto  mc,  and  saying  in  the  Hebrew  ton^jue,  Saul,  .Saul, 
why  jH-rsecutest  tho\i  me'  it  is  hard  for  thei-  to  kick  against 
the  pricks.  And  I  s  lid.  Who  art  thou,  Lord'  And  he  said. 
I  am  Jesus  whom  thou  jH-rsecutest.  Hut  rise,  and  stand 
upon  thy  feet ;  for  I  have  ai)i>eared  unto  thee  for  this  in!r|>ose. 
to  make  thee  a  minister  and  a  witness  both  of  these  thin^.s 
which  thou  hast  seen,  and  of  those  tilings  in  tluwliich  I  will 
appear  unto  thee,  delivering  thee  from  the  people,  and  from 
the  (lentiles,  unto  whom  now  I  send  thee,  to  o|>en  their 
eyes  and  to  turn  them  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the 
power  of  Satan  unto  God,  that  they  may  riieive  forgiveness 
of  sins,  and  inheritmce  among  them  which  are  sanctified  by 
faith  that  is  in  me.  Whereupon,  O  king  Aj.cnpp.i,  I  was  not 
disot)edient  unto  the  heavenly  vision;  but  sheweil  first  unto 
them  of  Iianiascus,  and  at  Jerusalem,  and  throi!<;hout 
all  the  coasts  of  Judea,  and  then  to  tl.e  (lentiles,  that 
they  should  repent  and  turn  to  (iod,  and  do  Wf)rks  meet  for 
repentance  For  tliesc  causes  the  Jews  caui^ht  me  in  the 
temple,  and  went  about  to  kill  me.  Having  therefore 
obtained  help  of  (Iod.  I  continue  unto  this  day,  witneRsin^ 
both  to  small  and  great,  saying  none  other  things  than  those 
which  the  prophets  and  Moses  did  say  should  come;  that 
t  h.rist  should  suffer,  and  that  he  should  be  the  first  that 
should  rise  from  the  dead,  and  slioidd  shew  light  unto  the 
I>eople  and  to  the  Gentiles.— /\jm/. 


ns 


CHAPTER    XI 


A    (  HRISTIAN    CONVERSION 

Whatever  CkkI  \nn<.  first  it  i-  always  best  f<>r 
man  to  put  first.  Jesus  came  to  reveal  anil 
set  up  the  Kinj^doni  of  Heaven  on  earth ;  a  new 
Kin^nlom  of  life  based  upon  and  ruled  by 
Love.  At  the  entrance  to  this  Kinj,'dom  our 
Lonl  placed  the  new  birth.  "Except  a  man  be 
born  a};ain,  he  cannot  enter  the  Kingdom  of 
God."  This  is  the  core  of  the  Christian  mes- 
sa^jc  :  "Ye  must  be  born  again. "  If  we  falter 
here  we  miss  the  point  entirely  and  devitalize 
our  whole  messaj^e. 

Amonj;  many  it  has  come  to  be  the  custom 
to  look  upon  re!i}.;ion  as  an  amiable  weakness 
peculiar  to  children,  people  who  are  enfeeljled 
by  disease  and  about  to  die,  and  women  some- 
what nervously  distempered,  or  at  least  given 
to  superstition.  Conversion  is  dismissed  with 
a  superior  smile  as  a  sort  of  interesting^  sur- 
vival from  an  a^e  of  ignorance  and  credulity. 
This  tendency  to  disbelieve  in  spiritual  religion 
is    a  fact   which   must   be   faced.       Unless   we 

'  '9 


ijm 

W- 

i 

1 

'1 
\ 

'W, 


i; :'  ^ 


140  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

have  other  and  greater  facts  with  which  to 
face  it  we  had  better  give  over  a  fruitless 
struggle  and  leave  the  field  at  once.  The 
Realities  of  Doubt  must  be  met  with  the 
Realities  of  Faith.  One  example  of  the  new 
birth  has  more  apologetic  worth  than  all  the 
theories  ever  conceived. 

In  this  chapter  it  is  proposed  to  discuss  the 
conversion  of  Saul  of  Tarsus  as  a  historical 
fact  by  the  truth  or  falsity  of  which  Christian- 
ity must  stand  or  fall.  Here  are  certain 
experiences  in  the  life  of  a  great  man.  What 
caused  them?  Was  Paul,  admittedly  the 
transcendent  intellect  of  Christendom,  de- 
ceived? Or  was  he  who  sealed  his  belief  in  the 
reality  of  these  experiences  with  his  blood,  a 
deceiver?  If  the  new  tirth  was  real  and 
necessary  for  Saul  of  Tarsus  it  must  be  real 
and  necessary  for  ever>'  man.  If  he  found 
that  "there  is  no  other  name  given  under 
heaven  among  men  whereby  we  must  be  saved 
but  the  name  of  Jesus,"  his  testimony  is  not 
to  be  lightly  smiled  away.  If  Paul  was  not 
mistaken,  then  the  multitudes  who  to-day  will 
not  have  Jesus  to  reign  over  them  are  resting 
upon  a  delusion  and  are  in  deadly  danger. 

What  preceded  the  conversion  of  Saul?    Are 
there  any  facts  or  experiences  in  his  previous 


A  Christian  Conversion 


141 


history  that  will  explain  his  conversion?  Was 
his  experience  before  the  gates  of  Damascus 
simply  the  result  of  natural  causes  to  be  found 
in  his  early  training,  beliefs  and  character;  or 
was  this  experience  a  result  of  external  new 
forces?  In  a  word  did  he  become  a  Christian 
as  men  become  partisans  of  any  cause  by  evo- 
lution or  was  it  by  regeneration?  Let  us  ex- 
amine the  facts. 

Saul  was  born  and  bred  of  good  Hebrew 
parentage.      His    birthplace    and    early  home 
was  the  ao  mean  city  of  Tarsus,  the  capital  of 
Cilicia,  a  province  of  Asia  Minor.     He  passed 
his  youth  under  the  shadow  of  a  great  heathen 
university  and  although  it  is  not  likely  that  he 
attended  any  of  its  courses  he  became  master  of 
the  Greek  language  and  absorbed  enough  of 
the  heathen  classics  to  be  able  to  quote  them 
with  effect  in  his  speech  on  Mars'  Hill.     At  an 
early  age  he  went  to  Jerusalem  and  attended 
the  school  of  the  Rabbis  where  he  had  the 
great  privilege  of  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Gama- 
liel, a  man  who  was  to  Jerusalem  what  Socrates 
was  to  Athens  and  Philo  to  Alexandria.    Of 
good    birth    and    breeding,    with    acute    and 
philosophical  mind,  his  high  and  refined  nature 
found  full  satisfaction  in  the  study  of  the  great 
elemental  problems  of  human  life.     Whatever 


142  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


IV- 


•1 


his  early  iraiiiinjj  may  have  been  the  products 
of  his  genius  in  after  years  show  him  to  have 
possessed  a  mind,  whieh  for  grandeur  and 
sweep  of  conception,  lofty  and  relentless  logic, 
and  a  certain  piercing  quality  of  imagination, 
has  never  been  surpassed. 

Not  only  was  Saul  the  greatest  man  of  his 
time  intellectually,  but  he  was  equally  strong 
on  the  moral  and  religious  side.  He  did  not 
yield  to  the  formalism  and  hypocrisy  which 
gave  to  his  age  an  unenviable  distinction. 
Amidst  unspeakable  corruption  and  chicanery 
he  lived  a  pure,  austere  life.  From  the  begin- 
ning he  was  consumed  by  one  passion.  To 
him,  knowledge  of  God  was  the  only  thing 
worth  having.  His  studies  taught  him  that  to 
obtain  this  knowledge  he  must  obey  God;  so 
he  set  himself  resolutely  to  the  appalling  task 
of  keeping  the  law.  His  success  is  indicated 
by  what  he  himself  says  later;  "As  touching 
the  law  I  was  found  blameless."  It  is  evident 
then  that  even  in  his  youth  he  was  an  extraor- 
dinary character,  true  and  noble. 

Saul  of  Tarsus,  the  young  rabbi,  found  him- 
self in  inevitable  and  deadly  opposition  to  the 
new  Christian  faith  which  seemed  at  the  time 
he  entered  upon  his  active  public  career  to 
threaten  the  foundations  of  religion.     He  had 


m 


A  Christian  Conversion 


143 


never  seen  Jesus,  as  it  is  probable  that  he  was 
stationed  in  some  outlying  community  during 
our  Lord's  active  ministry,  but  on  his  return 
to  Jerusalem  he  fomid  the  new  sect  making 
alarming  headway.  Accustomed  already  to 
broad  generalization  he  saw  at  once  that  Chris- 
tianity and  Judaism  could  not  exist  side  by 
side.  The  one  involved  the  destruction  of  the 
other.  He  believed  in  Judaism;  he  was  there- 
fore opposed  to  Christianity.  And  his  opposi- 
tion was  based  upon  the  three  grounds  of 
philosophy,  religion  and  patriotism ;  the  high- 
est grounds  upon  which  any  conviction  can 
rest.  No  wonder  then  that  he  felt  himself 
doing  God  service  in  uprooting  the  hateful 
heresy. 

Philosophically  it  is  likely  that  Saul  found 
the  same  difficulty  with  Christianity  as  did  the 
Greeks.  To  him  as  co  them  Christ  crucified 
was  foolishness.  For  how  could  there  be  any 
causal  connection  between  a  crucified  malefac- 
tor and  the  moral  regeneration  of  men  who  had 
never  seen  Him.  Considered  simply  as  a 
series  of  propositions  Christianity  will  never 
compel  the  obedience  of  mankind.  Nor  is  this 
surprising  for  if  in  philosophy  it  has  as  yet 
been  found  impossible  to  explain  the  universe 
in  terms  of  mind,  how  much  less  can  we  ex- 


b 

p 


t»' 


m 


i'- 


•t] 


P  ^.'f 
ii. 


144  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

press  the  history  of  the  soul  in  logical  and 
theological  propositions.  Saul  of  Tarsus  sim- 
ply fell  into  the  failure  of  all  intellectualists 
who  seek  to  measure  the  infinitudes  of  spirit- 
ual truth  and  experience  by  the  reasoning 
faculty.  It  is  like  trying  to  dip  up  the  ocean 
with  a  cup.  The  thing  may  enlist  desire, 
heroism,  and  even  temerity,  but  Law  has  de- 
termined that  it  cannot  be  done. 

If    Saul    was    opposed    to    Christianity    for 
reasons  of  philosophy  his  strongest  objections 
were  based  upon  grounds  of  religion.     Of  an 
intensely  religious  nature  he  had  made  right- 
eousness his  highest  good  and  in  the  attain- 
ment  of  this  prize  his  zeal  burned  like  fire. 
Saturated  with  the  Hebrew  scriptures  he  saw 
and  appropriated  their  spiritual  meaning  as  no 
other  man  of  his  nation.     In  them  he  thought 
he  found  eternal  life.     To  all  the  predisposi- 
tions in  their  favor  01  race,  training  and  tradi- 
tion he  added  a  religious  fervor  and  faith  the 
result  of  long  study  and  testing  by  experience. 
He  believed  that  the  God  of  Israel  was  the 
only  true  God;  that  the  Jews  were  His  chosen 
people;  and  that  the  Hebrew  scriptures,  tradi- 
tions, worship,  priesthood  and  morality  consti- 
tuted the  only  divinely  appointed  and  therefore 
efiEectual,  means  of  human  salvation.     He  must 


A  Christian  Conversion 


145 


have  seen  at  a  glance  the  fundamental  differ- 
ence between  Judaism  and  Christianity.  Sal- 
vation by  works  was  the  heart  of  the  former; 
salvation  by  faith  of  the  latter.  If  Chris- 
tianity was  right  Judaism  was  wrong.  The 
acceptance  of  Christianity  involved  the  rejec- 
tion and  final  disappearance  of  Judaism.  The 
two  could  not  exist  together.  But  he  had 
staked  his  eternal  destiny  upon  the  Jewish 
creed.  In  the  works  of  the  law  he  had  sought 
and  thought  he  had  found  that  righteousness 
without  which  no  man  can  see  the  Lord. 
Christianity  therefore  appeared  to  him  as  a 
deadly  r.ienace  involving  in  its  acceptance  a 
denial  of  the  only  means  of  salvation.  To 
oppose,  to  destroy  Christianity,  was  therefore 
his  solemn  duty  for  by  so  doing  he  would  re- 
move a  dreadful  danger  from  the  world. 

If  Saul  was  opposed  to  Christianity  on  intellec- 
tual and  religious  grounds  his  opposition  was 
equally  pronounced  upon  grounds  of  patriot- 
ism. Like  every  Jew  he  loved  his  nation,  be- 
lieved in  its  mission  and  hoped  for  its  trium- 
phant future.  He  saw  that  the  Jewish  religion 
was  the  chief  distinguishing  fact  which  sep- 
arated and  kept  separate  his  people  from 
other  nations.  To  destroy  their  faith  was  to 
lose  their  nationality  and  this  made  religious 


it 

i 


HI 

it.-- 


If 

I  i  '■ 


146  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

duties  identical  with  national  duties.  A  He- 
brew of  the  Hebrews,  actuated  by  all  the  senti- 
ments of  patriotism,  Saul  could  not  but  hate 
Christianity  as  a  system  calculated  to  destroy 
the  Jewish  nation. 

Saul  was  a  man  of  action.     For  him  to  be- 
lieve was  to  do;  and   now  as  always  he  was 
ready  to    express   his   national    and   religious 
convictions  in  deeds  as  well  as  words.     Conse- 
quently he  became  at  once  a  most  ardent  per- 
secutor of  the  Christian  faith.     This  in  itself 
was  not  a  bad  thing  for  Christianity,  for  the 
greatest  blessing  that  can  come  to  the  Church 
is  persecution.     It  cannot  always  stand  pros- 
perity but  it  always  blooms  under  adversity. 
The  blood  of  the  martyrs  has  been  in  all  ages 
the  seed  of  the  church.     The  church  on  good 
terms  with  the  world  is  a  contradiction,  for  our 
faith  is  defined  as  "the  victory  that  overcometh 
the  world."     The  flesh  is  always  against  the 
Spirit  and    the   world   against   the   kingdom. 
Considering  his  experience,  beliefs  and  tem- 
perament it  is  not  surprising  therefore  to  find 
Saul  at  his  first  appearance  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment history  giving  countenance  to  the  slay- 
ing of  Stephen.     Later  we  have  glimpses  of 
him    going  from   house  to  house   and   haling 
men  and  women  to  prison  and  to  death,  and  it 


A  Christian  Converrwon 


147 


must  be  admitted  that  he  did  his  work  well. 
No  one  escaped  him.  He  thought  he  was 
doing  God  service  and  as  the  bloody  work  went 
on  his  zeal  increased  almost  to  the  point  of 
madness. 

This,  then,  is  what  preceded  the  conversion 
of  Saul.  He  was  well  born  and  well  bred ;  his 
education  was  the  best  offered  by  his  country: 
Intellectually  strong,  profoundly  religious,  and 
patriotic  to  a  degree,  he  was  in  deadly  oppo- 
sition to  Christ  and  to  all  those  who  had  taken 
that  Name.  The  grounds  that  supported  him 
in  this  position  were  those  of  reason,  religion, 
and  patriotism.  Putting  his  opinions  into 
practice  he  had  undertaken  to  stamp  out  the 
hated  sect  not  only  by  argument  but  by  the 
more  effectual  means  of  the  law.  It  is  nearly 
self-evident  that  such  a  man  under  such  cir- 
cumstances could  not  be  changed  into  a  fol- 
lower of  Jesus  without  some  extraordinary 
experience. 

We  come  then  to  the  experience  that  Saul 
passed  through  at  his  conversion.  After  seek- 
ing out  all  the  Christians  in  the  vicinity  of 
Jerusalem  he  obtained  authority  to  visit  Da- 
mascus and  there  continue  his  persecution  of 
the  Church.  It  is  probable  that  the  long  jour- 
ney gave  him  time  for  thought  and  he  found 


148  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


,♦  >i 


U  «t 


t 


t 


himself  disquieted.  A  mind  less  observant 
and  acute  must  have  seen  that  however  wrong 
it  appeared  as  a  system  Christianity  was  pro- 
ducing  an  attractive  type  of  character.  Grapes 
do  not  grow  on  thorns  and  a  bad  religion  will 
not  make  good  men.  How,  then,  could  this 
evil  superstition  cause  men  and  women  to  live 
such  pure  and  blameless  lives  and  rest  so 
quietly  and  even  joyfully  under  persecution? 
Moreover  he  found  himself  at  war  with  him- 
self. In  dragging  Christians  to  prison  and 
death  he  was  perfectly  logical  and  consistent 
but  his  moral  sense  revolted  against  his  logic. 
These  deluded  people  seemed  to  possess  a 
peace  which  he  lacked  and  longed  for.  In  the 
silence  of  the  desert  journey  his  spiritual  and 
moral  instincts  leaped  up  in  protest  against  his 
reason,  his  prejudice  and  even  his  patriotism. 
vSaul  was  getting  near  the  heart  of  Christianity, 
for  the  Christian  Truth  is  more  than  proposi- 
tions  of  the  intellect.  It  is  a  life,  and  finds 
room  within  its  infinite  compass  for  conscience 
and  will  and  conduct  as  well  as  for  logic;  a 
universal  life  as  careless  of  national  boundaries 
as  the  sunshine  and  gladly  acknowledging  it- 
self debtor  to  all  mankind.  To  know  this 
Truth  is  to  be  made  free ;  for  this  is  the  Truth 
that  can  reconcile  the  warring  elements  of  a 


It     i 


A  Christian  Conversion 


149 


man's  life  and  brinj;^  him  into  perfect  peace 
with  God,  with  his  fellowmen,  and  with  him- 
self. Like  an  ox  in  the  furrow  that  kicks 
against  the  guiding  goad  of  the  driver  receiv- 
ing pain  when  only  guidance  was  intended,  so 
the  persecutor  wounded  his  imperious  spirit 
against  the  relentless  sting  of  an  awakened  and 
accusing  conscience  until  at  last  he  found  peace 
in  surrender  to  Him  who  said  "It  is  useless  for 
thee  to  kick  against  the  goads." 

It  was  high  noon  at  Damascus.  Within  the 
city,  here  and  there,  earnest-faced  men  ex- 
changed a  meaning  glance  as  they  met  in  the 
streets;  and  women  in  quiet  homes  caught 
their  children  to  their  breasts  as  they  thought 
of  the  fierce  oppressor  whom  they  had  heard 
was  on  his  way  from  Jerusalem  with  authority 
to  bind  all  who  were  Followers  of  the  Way. 
Outside  the  gates  on  the  Jerusalem  road  ap- 
peared a  cavalcade  escorting  the  young  emis- 
sary of  the  Sanhedrin.  Suddenly  as  they 
journeyed  there  flashed  from  heaven  a  light 
above  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  which  seemed 
to  blind  the  company,  so  that  they  fell  pros- 
trate to  th^  ground.  Then  Saul  heard  a  voice 
saying  unto  him.  "Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest 
thou  me?  It  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against 
the  pricks."     Let  us  take  his  own  testimony 


1 50  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Kvanpelisni 


it 


;  h.- .  ,1 


W 


hi  '■' 

,)     I 


il     * 


as  to  what  followed.  "And  I  said,  Who  art 
Thou,  Lord?  And  He  said,  I  am  Jesus  whom 
thou  persecutesi.  But  rise,  and  stand  upon 
thy  feet :  For  I  have  appean;d  imto  thee  for 
this  purpose,  to  make  thee  a  minister  and  a 
witness  both  of  these  thing's  which  thou  hast 
seen,  and  of  those  things  in  the  which  I  will  ap- 
pear unto  thee;  delivering  thee  from  the 
people,  and  from  the  Gentiles,  unto  whom 
now  I  send  thee,  to  open  their  eyes,  and  to 
turn  them  from  dark  ess  to  light,  and  from 
the  power  of  Satan  unto  God,  that  they  may 
receive  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  inheritance 
among  them  which  are  sanctified  by  faith  that 
is  in  me." 

When  Saul  rose  from  the  earth  he  was  blind 
but  they  led  him  by  the  hand  and  so,  trembling 
and  helpless,  the  proud  Persecutor  entered  the 
city.  For  three  days  in  the  house  of  Judas  in 
the  street  called  Straight,  he  lay  in  total  dark- 
ness ;  darkness  of  soul  and  darkness  *  body. 
Who  can  imagine  the  tumult  of  thougnts  that 
poured  through  his  troubled  mind  during 
those  days  of  shadow?  What  forebodings  and 
wrestlings,  what  dumb  outreaching  of  Faith, 
what  glimpses  through  the  gloom  of  a  brood- 
ing  Presence,  the  Majestic  Figure  of  One  like 
unto  the  Son  of  Man !     Throe  days  passed,  days 


M 


A  Christian  Conversion 


151 


01  iragedy  and  crisis.  Then  came  Ananias,  of 
the  Disciples  and  putting  his  hands  on  him 
said,  "Brother  Saul,  the  Lord,  even  Jesus,  that 
appeared  unto  thee  in  the  way  as  thou  camest, 
hatli  sent  me,  that  hou  mightest  receive  thy 
sight,  and  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost." 
"And  immediately  there  fell  from  his  eyes  as 
it  had  been  scales :  and  he  received  sight  forth- 
with, and  arose,  and  was  baptized.  And  when 
he  had  received  meat,  he  was  strengthened. 
Then  was  Saul  certain  days  with  the  disciples 
which  were  at  Damascus.  And  straightway  he 
preached  Christ  in  the  synagogues,  that  he  is 
the  Son  of  God.  But  all  that  heard  him  were 
amazed,  and  said ;  is  not  this  he  that  destroyed 
them  which  called  on  this  name  in  Jerusalem, 
and  came  hither  for  that  intent,  that  he  might 
bring  them  bound  unto  the  chief  priests?  But 
Saul  increased  the  more  in  strength,  and  con- 
founded the  Jews  which  dwelt  at  Damascus, 
proving  that  this  is  very  Christ." 

There  is  in  all  this  a  large  element  of  the 
miraculous.  While  in  essence  the  conversion 
of  Saul  was  like  the  conversion  of  any  other 
man  ceicain  conditions  peculiar  to  his  case  ren- 
dered a  miracle  necessary.  lie  had  never  seen 
the  Lord  in  the  flesh.  He  was  being  calle('  to 
apostleship.      His    ofl&ce  was   to   be  that    of 


■;! 


m:  a 


i! 


if 


t 


152  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  EvanKclism 

herald  and  witness.  His  testimony  must  con- 
sist in  what  he  had  seen  and  heard;  and  not 
merely  those  things  seen  and  heard  by  all  who 
surrender  their  will  to  Jesus,  but  also  those 
things  that  constitute  apostleship  in  particular 
as  distinguished  from  discipleship  in  general. 
While  various  spiritual  phenomena  that  have 
since  ceased,  were  common  in  the  early 
Church,  such  as  the  gift  of  tongues,  the  apos- 
tles formed  an  inner  circle  endowed  with 
special  apostolic  powers,  prerogatives,  and  ex- 
periences and  called  to  a  peculiar  work  as  un- 
usual as  it  was  sublime.  In  order  then  to 
transform  this  man  into  an  apostle  it  was 
necessary  that  he  should  have  an  apostolic  ex- 
perience corresponding  to  that  enjoyed  by 
Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  Eleven.  Perhaps 
there  is  more  than  a  coincidence  in  the  fact 
that  Paul  spent  a  long  time  in  solitude  in 
Arabia  after  his  conversion  communing 
with  the  Lord  and  learning  by  special  rev- 
elation those  things  that  the  other  apostles 
had  learned  in  the  three  years  of  our  Lord's 
earthly  ministry   from   daily  intercourse  with 

Him. 

There  was  another  reason  why  Pauls  experi- 
ence should  be  unique.  Not  only  was  he 
called  to  be  an  apostle,  but  his  apostolic  mis- 


A  Christian  Conversion 


153 


sion  was  of  a  peculiar  and  exalted  order.  The 
others  were  witnesses  of  the  facts  of  our 
Lord's  life,  death  and  resurrection.  Paul  was 
called  to  the  sublime  task  of  constructing  an 
ad  ^uate  philosophy  of  those  facts.  They  set 
'orth  the  facts  of  Mis  life.  Paul  dealt  with  the 
jrrcat  essential  fact  of  His  death  and  resur- 
rection and  the  "many  things"  which  in  His 
humiliation  Jesus  could  not  make  the  apostles 
understand  Paul  learned  by  special  revelation 
from  the  Lord  exalted.  To  him  was  given  to 
elaborate  and  apply  the  great  spiritual  doc- 
trines involved  in  the  earthly  history  of  the 
Son  of  Man.  For  these  reasons  Paul's  conver- 
sion was  marked  by  certain  experiences  which 
other  men,  called  to  other  and  lower  labors, 
could  not  expect. 

But,  after  all  allowance  is  made  for  these 
apostolic  elements,  it  will  be  seen  that  Paul's 
conversion  was  in  its  essence  like  the  conver- 
sion of  every  other  man.  The  Light  and  Voice 
come  to  all  who  are  turned  from  darkness  unto 
the  marvelous  light.  The  unconverted  man 
lives  in  and  for  to-duy.  Self-centered  he  has 
not  related  himself  to  either  eternity  or  time. 
He  has  no  hope  because  he  is  without  God  in 
the  world.  Sin  in  essence  and  effect  is  sep- 
aration.     In  loneliness  and  darkness  the  sin- 


154  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangel . 


ner  stumbles  further  into  the  shadow.  The 
whole  universe  conspires  to  rid  itself  of  his 
unwelcome  presence.  "Wheresoever  the 
carcass  is  there  the  eagles  are  gathered  to- 
gether."  These  are  the  scavengers  of  God's 
moral  government,  tiie  dread  Forces  of  Law 
lifting  up  out  of  the  Eternities  to  smite  rebel- 
lion and  restore  order.  When  at  last  sin  hatli 
brough  forth  death  there  will  be  no  eye  to  pity 
and  no  arm  to  save.  Law  is  Law;  a  servant 
to  them  who  obey;  a  Gehenna  of  fiery  judg- 
ment to  all  who  dare  to  disobey.  At  conver- 
sion there  comes  to  the  sinner  a  great  light. 
It  flashes  forth  from  the  eternities  out  of  which 
and  into  which  he  is  faring.  He  sees  his 
whole  life  at  a  glance  as  related  to  God  and 
man.  The  broad  road  that  leadeth  to  destruc- 
tion is  illumined  throughout  its  whole  course. 
At  the  beginning  is  a  deliberate  wrong  choice ; 
at  the  end  is  Hell.  The  same  light  floods  the 
steep  ascent  'of  that  strait  and  narrow  way 
that  leadeth  unto  life  everlasting.  It  glows  in 
calm  radiance  about  the  Cross  and  enwraps 
with  bodeful  lightings  the  Throne  of  Judg- 
ment. This  experience  may  be  called  convic- 
tion of  sin;  it  may  be  traced  to  the  Holy 
Spirit,  to  conscience,  to  the  Bible,  to  preach- 
ing but  whatever  its  source  it  amounts  to  a 


A  Christian  Conversion 


XS5 


revelation  to  himself  of  the  sinner's  life  in  its 
large  relationships  with  eternity. 

With  this  light  there  comes  to'every  man  at 
conversion  the  questioning  Voice.  "Why?" 
It  is  the  appeal  of  the  Spirit  to  the  reason  as 
the  other  is  an  appeal  to  the  conscience  and 
will.  "Why  persccutest  thou  me?"  What 
reason  is  there  for  reasonable  men  to  follow 
the  path  that  leads  away  from  God?  What 
reason  is  there  for  reasonable  beings  to  reject 
Jesus  Christ  as  Lord  and  Saviour?  What 
reason  is  there  for  reasonable  men  to  silence 
the  voice  of  conscience;  to  choose  darkness 
rather  than  light,  to  live  for  self  rather  than 
for  God?    Why?    Why? 

Charles  G,  Finney  defines  religion  as 
"Obedience  to  Go  '  This  is  Paul's  sum- 
mary  of  his  experience  at  conversion, — 
"Wherefore  O  King  Agrippa  I  was  not  dis- 
obedient unto  the  heavenly  vision."  And 
this  was  a  continuous  attitude  of  mind  which 
marked  the  Apostle  throughout  every  hour  of 
his  after  life.  His  subsequent  history  is  sim- 
ply the  story  of  his  obedience  in  word  and 
thought  and  deed  to  the  Lordship  of  Jesus; 
an  obedience  which  involved  a  complete 
denial  of  and  forsaking  his  whole  past,  an 
absolute  surrender  of  his  personality  to  the 


1 56  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


r 


personality  of  Jesus,  and  a  life  of  loving  serv- 
ice and  patient  suffering.     There  is  something 
startling  about  the  sudden  appearance  of  the 
Persecutor  in   the    Synagogue   at    Damascus 
"preaching  Christ  that  He  is  the  Son  of  God; 
confounding  the  Jews  and  proving  that  this  is 
the  very  Christ."     The  change  was  so  com- 
plete and  involved  so  much  that  it  cannot  be 
accounted  for  on  ordinary  grounds.     It  was 
not  like  the  conversion  of  a  man  from  Free 
Trade  to  Protection  or  vice  versa.     It  involved 
loss  of  home  and  friendships  cherished  as  only  a 
Jew  could  cherish  such  things.     It  meant  exile, 
loneliness,  misunderstanding,  ruin,  social  and 
financial.    Henceforth  every  Jew  would  look 
upon  him  as  a  traitor,  a  deceiver,  and  opinion 
would  be  divided  as   to  whether  he  were  the 
greater  fool  or  knave.     Home  tics,  religious  and 
national  associations,  all  had  to  go.     It  would 
indeed  be  hard  to  fully  appreciate  all  that  the 
change  meant  for  Paul  and  yet,  what  things 
were  gain  to  him  he   counted    but  loss    for 
Christ.      **Yca,  doubtless,   I  count  all  things 
but  less  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of 
Christ  Jesus    my   Lord:    for    wfeom    I    have 
suffered  the  loss  of  all  things,  and  do  count 
them  but  dung,  that  I  may  win  Christ,  and  be 
found  in  Him,  not  having  mine  own  righteous- 


ly t 

If  t 


A  Christian  Conversion 


157 


ncss.  which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is 
through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the  righteousness 
which  is  of  God  by  faith:  That  I  may  know 
Him,  and  the  power  of  His  resurrection,  and 
the  fellowship  of  His  sufferings,  being  made 
conformable  unto  His  death;  if  by  any  means  I 
might  attain  unto  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead." 

Not  less  striking  was  the  complete  subordina- 
tion of  Paul's  personality  to  the  personality  of 
Jesus  Christ  involved  in  his  conversion.  No 
one  can  doubt  that  Paul  was  one  of  the  few 
Solitary  Souls,  which  appear  here  and  there  in 
history;  deep  creative  men  who  originate 
movements  and  whose  thought  is  the  seed  for 
whole  cycles  of  lesser  thinking.  And  yet  he 
expressly  declares  himself  completely  given 
over  to  the  domination  of  Jesus  in  body,  mind 
and  spirit.  "I  live,  yet  not  I  but  Christ  liveth 
in  me."  "For  me  to  live  is  Christ."  Hence- 
forth he  is  the  Lord's  bond  servant.  He 
claims  no  right  for  himself.  His  will  is  wholly 
controlled  by  a  Higher  Will.  This  is  in  accord 
with  the  teaching  and  example  of  Christ  who 
said,  "I  have  always  the  Father  with  me  be- 
cause I  do  always  the  things  that  are  pleasing 
unto  Him."  And  herein  Paul  fulfilled  the 
Christian  paradox.     He  lost  himself  in  order 


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15.S  Tlic  Old  Evangel  aiul  New  Evangelism 

to  find  himself.  Hitherto  he  had  stood  out 
alone,  a  stronj,',  sombre  iii^urc  at  war  with  the 
best  in  the  interests  <jf  the  good.  Henceforth 
lie  appears  panoplied  in  the  power  of  the  Pres- 
cut  Christ,  the  sum  and  substance  of  all  per- 
fections, human  atul  divine. 

When  v>c  trace  tlie  results  of  this  cwnversion 
out  into  the  <vcr  widenini;  and  deepening 
stream  of  external  deeds  the  wonder  grows. 
To  Ananias  the  Lord  declared  Paul  to  be  a 
chosen  vessel;  a  clioice  marked  liy  the  high 
honcjr  of  suffering.  "He  is  a  chosen  vessel 
unto  me,  to  bear  n:y  name  before  tlie  Gentiles, 
and  kings,  and  the  children  of  Israel:  Fori 
will  show  him  how  great  things  he  must  suffer 
for  my  name's  sake."  In  after  years  he  set 
forth  his  experience  in  graphic  words.  "And 
He  said  unto  me,  My  gr..ce  is  sufficient  for 
tlicc;  for  n;y  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weak- 
ness. Most  gladly  therefore  will  I  rather 
glory  in  my  infirmities,  that  the  power  of 
Christ  may  rest  upon  me.  Therefore,  I  take 
pleasure  in  infirmities,  in  reproaches,  in  neces- 
sities, in  persecutions,  in  distresses  for  Christ's 
sake;  for  when  I  am  weak,  then  am  I  strong." 
"Seeing  that  many  glory  after  the  flesh,  I  will 
glory  also.  For  ye  sufler  fools  gladly,  seeing 
ye  yourselves  are  wise.     For  ye  suffer,   if  a 


■.-£* 


A  Christian  Conversion 


159 


man  bring  you  into  bondage,  if  a  man  devour 
you,  if  a  man  take  of  you,  if  a  man  exalt  him- 
self, if  a  man  smite  you  on  the  face.  I  speak 
as  concerning  rcjiroach,  as  though  we  had  been 
weak.  Ilowbeit  v.-hereir.soever  any  is  bold 
(I  speak  foolishly)  I  am  bold  also.  Are  they 
'Tebrews?  s)  am  I.  Arc  they  Israelites?  so 
.m  I.  Are  tlicy  the  seed  of  Abraham?  so 
am  I.  Are  they  ministers  of  Christ?  (I  speak 
as  a  fool)  I  am  more;  in  labors  more  abundant, 
in  stripes  above  mea.sure,  in  prisons  more  fre- 
quent, in  deatlis  r)ft.  Of  the  Jews  five  limes 
received  I  fv)rty  stripes  save  one.  Thrice  was 
I  beaten  with  rods,  once  I  was  stoned,  thrice  I 
suffered  shipwreck,  a  night  and  day  I  have 
been  in  the  deep;  in  journeyings  often,  in 
perils  of  waters,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in  perils 
by  mine  countrymen,  in  perils  by  the  heathen, 
in  perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness, 
in  perils  in  the  sea,  in  perils  among  false 
brethren;  in  weariness  and  painfulncss,  in 
watchmgs  often,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  fast- 
ings often,  in  cold  and  nakedness.  Beside 
those  things  that  are  without,  that  which 
cometh  upon  me  daily,  the  care  of  all  the 
churches.  Who  is  weak,  and  I  am  not  weak? 
Who  is  offended,  and  I  burn  not?  If  I  must 
needs  glory,  I  will  glory  of  the  things  which 


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St'i    •• 

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iCx)  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 

concern  mine  infirmities.  The  God  and 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  is 
blessed  for  evermore,  knoweth  that  I  lie  not. 
In  Damascus  the  governor  under  Aretas  the 
king  kept  the  city  of  the  Damascenes  with  a 
garrison,  desirous  to  apprehend  me:  And 
through  a  window  was  I  let  down  by  the  wall, 
and  escaped  his  hands." 

But  these  sufferings  were  not  a  mere  acci- 
dent. They  are  but  marks  of  a  deep  inner  his- 
tory or  rather  incidents  in  the  external 
expression  of  that  history.  When  Saul  of 
Tarsus  was  converted  he  became  Paul,  the 
Apostle  to  the  Gentiles.  Saul  the  Jewish 
sectary,  the  narrow,  bigoted  nationalist,  became 
Paul  the  Universal  Man,  debtor  and  brother 
to  the  whole  world.  Deeply  did  he  drink  of 
the  fountain  of  Life.  The  love  of  God  for  all 
the  world  that  sent  Jesus  to  die  for  mankind 
welled  up  in  the  apostle's  heart  until  he 
yearned  over  the  whole  brotherhood  of  man 
with  a  tenderness  truly  heavenly.  But  it  did 
not  stop  here.  Paul  was  no  idle  sentimental- 
ist. He  acknowledged  a  sense  of  debtorship  to 
Jew  and  Gentile,  bond  and  free,  wise  and  sim- 
ple, and  he  made  good  the  impulse  of  his  heart 
by  a  life  of  service  unequaled  in  all  the  splen- 
did annals  of  Christian  self-sacrifice. 


A  Christian  Conversion 


i6i 


Mention  must  be  made  of  the  enduemcnt  of 
the  Spirit  which  so  distinguished  Paul's  after 
life.  Of  this  apart  from  preceding  statements 
but  one  thing  need  be  said.  This  is  God's 
world  and  God  is  working  in  His  world. 
When  we  voluntarily  go  to  the  place  where 
God  is  working  and  do  the  work  that  God  is 
doing  we  have  His  Presence  and  His  Power; 
and  it  may  then  be  said,  without  irreverence, 
in  the  words  of  Jesus,  "My  Father  worketh 
hitherto  and  I  work,"  for  "we  are  workers  to- 
gether with  Him." 

How  did  it  all  end?  Did  such  self-sacrifice, 
such  stormy  renunciation  of  the  good  things  of 
life  pay?  Was  not  this  man  a  fool?  Was  he 
not  deceived?  He  sits  in  the  grim  shadow  of 
his  Roman  dungeon.  Outside,  the  apparatus 
of  death  is  preparing  and  to-morrow  he  will  be 
led  forth  to  die ;  an  old  man,  weary,  careworn, 
almost  alone.  What  has  he  to  say?  Listen. 
"For  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered.  To-mor- 
row they  will  pour  my  blood  upon  the  ground 
even  as  they  pour  out  a  drink  offering  to  their 
heedless  gods  of  stone.  The  time  of  my  de- 
parture is  at  hand.  The  tide  is  running  out. 
I  am  casting  off  my  moorings  and  soon  I  shall 
slip  down  with  the  silent  ebb  into  the  Ocean. 
It  is  evening  and  the  day's  work  is  done.     I 


i62  The  Old  Evangel  and  New  Evangelism 


'\  ' 


,1' 


^■. 


have  fouj^'ht  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my 
course,  1  have  kept  the  faith:  Henceforth  there 
is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness 
which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  judge,  shall  give 
me  at  that  day :  and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto 
all  them  also  that  love  His  appearing." 

Is  all  this  but  another  of  the  delusions  of 
superstition?  Or  is  it  of  God?  How  can  we 
answer?  How  must  we  answer  in  face  of  the 
great  philosophical  expression  given  the  facts 
by  the  Apostle  in  his  writing;  in  face  of  the 
sanity  and  moderation,  the  freedom  from 
fanaticism  and  cant,  the  splendid  self-sacrifice, 
the  genuine  enthusiasm  for  humanity,  and 
good  which  mark  his  whole  life?  Paul  was  not 
mistaken.  He  saw  Jesus.  He  was  dealing 
with  and  resting  upon  Realities.  And  to  re- 
peat this  experience  is  to  reproduce  his  history 
in  deed  and  thought. 


